Shedeur Sanders led the Cleveland Browns to victory in his first career start, but the win led to a new controversy beyond the box score.
Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders arrives before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders arrives before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The rookie’s postgame remarks drew sharp criticism from conservative commentator Jon Root, who argued Sanders displayed arrogance rather than confidence.
Shedeur Sanders Called Out as Too Arrogant to Root For Following Browns Victory
The fifth-round pick completed 11 of 20 passing attempts for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Cleveland’s 24-10 victory over Las Vegas Raiders. What should’ve been a celebration turned into a social media firestorm over the quarterback’s attitude.
After the Raiders game, Sanders told CBS Sports, “Win is crazy. It’s amazing, you know. Off of one week of practice, you know what mean? This one week of practice. So imagine you know what a full off season look like. It get dangerous. But it’s just a one week of practice. So I’m just truly thankful, you know, that everything happened.”
This is one reason why many people aren’t very interested in rooting for Shedeur.
This isn’t confidence. It’s arrogance.
He talks like his dad, without having the resume & skillset to back it up.
Humility would go a long way.
pic.twitter.com/mzXqbpKtxe
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) November 24, 2025
The postgame pep talk caught fire online. Root, a Turning Point USA contributor, tweeted, “This is one reason why many people aren’t very interested in rooting for Shedeur. This isn’t confidence. It’s arrogance. He talks like his dad, without having the resume & skillset to back it up. Humility would go a long way.”
Root focused on Sanders’ attitude, not how he played. He said the quarterback hasn’t earned the right to act so confident because he’s new to the NFL and wasn’t drafted very high.
Actually Sanders’ debut win came against a team who are now sitting at 2-9. So, his confident pep talk doesn’t suit Root. But the majority of fans don’t want to be on the same page with the TPUSA contributor.
Fans Split on Whether Sanders Crossed the Line
Fans were split after Root’s opinion. Many stood up for Sanders, saying other quarterbacks act the same way and get praised for it.
One fired back, “But when Baker acted like this y’all couldn’t contain the salvia running from mouth.”
Another bluntly added, “Shut up @JonnyRoot_ Just say you don’t like him… You actually have to make reads and make the throws and checks. You are the definition of a hater.”
A third noted, “Do you think Jaxon Dart should be humble? Man was dancing and stunting his iced out chain BEFORE he got his start in NY. I’m not here defending arrogance. What I’m saying is that it seems you see arrogance for one and not others.”
But some agreed with Root’s assessment. The fourth claimed, “You hit the nail on the head. If his dad is wise, he’ll tell his son to STFU and be humble.”
For those unfamiliar, the Sanders family treats this kind of criticism as background noise. Whether Shedeur’s confidence pays off or backfires will depend on how he plays in the coming weeks.
For now, the rookie quarterback is taking heat for what he says as much as how he throws.