Shedeur Sanders made Cleveland Browns franchise history on Sunday afternoon. With his team’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, he became the first Browns quarterback to win his first NFL start since 1995, dating back to before the team originally left the city.
Shedeur Sanders Goes Unpraised In Browns Locker Room
But his head coach didn’t seem overly excited about the prospect of the rookie signal caller enjoying success, and many are wondering if Kevin Stefanski has a problem with Sanders.
The Browns had lost 17 straight games with first-time starting QBs…
Not anymore ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/AcTaXk42Qd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 24, 2025
Stefanski hasn’t given many victory speeches this season. But in Las Vegas on Sunday, he held one after his team’s hard-fought win to move their record to 3-8. He sang the praises of various individuals as well as collective units, but appeared to be a bit too mum on his praise for his quarterback, at least according to the internet.
After shouting out the special teams unit, the punter, and the receiver who caught Sanders’ only touchdown pass, Stefanski addressed the young QB with a noticeably subdued tone. He turned to Sanders, and appeared to give a half-hearted “Nice job, Sheduer. Well done.” He then continued onto his praise for the defense that notched 10 sacks on the day.
Shedeur Sanders has been a polarizing figure since bursting onto the scene at the University of Colorado, and his acceptable performance on Sunday only solidified that. Fans have been calling out Stefanski for his lack of enthusiasm when addressing the QB, even posting videos of other coaches hyping up rookie signal callers after big career milestones.
STAY RESILIENT TOGETHER 🗣️@Ticketmaster | #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/iaDBdWzf39
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 24, 2025
Many have questioned if Stefanski “hates” Shedeur, given the lack of reps and playing time. And the footage from the locker room will only continue to raise suspicions.
Where the Browns go from here is mostly unknown. Dillon Gabriel, the other rookie who the coaching staff has labeled as the starter, is still dealing with concussion issues. It is unknown if he will be available for next week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, meaning that Sanders could see his second straight start. When asked about the quarterback situation after Sunday’s game, Stefanski said that no decision had been made on that front.
Sanders finished the day with 11 completions on 20 pass attempts, and racked up 209 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception, but was only sacked once.
