Shedeur Sanders has more than enough to worry about in trying to become the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback. So, the fact that his famous father is trying to get a meeting with head coach Todd Monken probably isn’t helping.
Deion Sanders recently said he wants to sit down with Monken and give him insight into Shedeur Sanders as a player. Deion Sanders said it wasn’t because he’s Shedeur Sanders’ dad, but because he coached him in college at Jackson State and then at Colorado.
The true intention of the meeting is likely only known by the Sanders family, and maybe only by Deion Sanders himself. It is certainly unique around the NFL, but if the Browns know anything about having Shedeur Sanders on the team, it’s that it is definitely unique.
Analyst Jay Crawford recently said he believes Deion Sanders has a hidden motive with the Browns, and that is to become a part of the team’s inner circle, likely with the intention of improving his son’s status.
“This one’s tricky. From a football standpoint, Deion Sanders has much more cachet than the average player’s dad. But, on the surface, it just looks like Deion is trying to insert himself into the Browns’ circle because he is the parent of one of the players. I don’t know if Todd Monken’s going to take a meeting with him. I do know this: He can’t sit down and talk to everyone’s dad,” Crawford said.
Deion Sanders wants to meet with the #Browns HC Todd Monken 👀@JaycrawfordCLE says this situation is tricky… but on the surface, it feels like Deion is trying to insert himself into the #Browns circle.https://t.co/p987BdPpU7 pic.twitter.com/PVq2UAB84x
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) May 18, 2026
Crawford is correct in saying that Monken can’t make this accommodation for every player. The counter to that would be that not every player’s father is a college football head coach who had his son on his team.
Either way, it’s a mess that the Browns likely would love to avoid, and Shedeur Sanders might like to as well. Now, if the meeting between his dad and his head coach does take place, and he happens to win the starting job, it will always remain unclear if he earned it on his own merits.
Deion Sanders has strongly suggested that Shedeur Sanders was undermined last year, going into the 2025 NFL Draft, during the draft, and after joining the Browns. Perhaps all he wants to do is make sure his kid has a fair shake this time around.
But if Deion Sanders is somehow trying to put his thumb on the scale and influence how the Browns make personnel decisions, especially one as important as their starting quarterback, that would not be good for anyone.
NEXT: Insider Reveals What Losing QB Battle Would Mean For Shedeur Sanders
