Shedeur Sanders emerged as an upcoming talent in the 2025 season, though his team did not perform well. The Cleveland Browns had a 5-12 record in the regular season, were last in the AFC North and missed the playoffs for the second season in a row.
The players are currently enjoying the offseason, and Sanders is already working to get to his best form. However, fans have instead turned against him.
Video goes viral of Shedeur Sanders bench pressing
Sanders was drafted by the Browns in fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and got to start in his rookie season due to the starting quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel being injured. He played in 8 games, where he completed 120 out of 212 pass attempts for 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns with 10 interceptions while also rushing for 169 yards and a touchdown.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders
Jan 4, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) takes a break from pregame warmups against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
The former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback is expected to be in strong contention for the starting quarterback role next season. He will have to compete with veteran Watson and Gabriel. He is currently free in the offseason, but is not staying idle and working for the next season already.
Recently, a video of Sanders bench pressing got viral, which shows the 24-year-old performing bench presses with 185 pounds for a limited number of repetitions. Wide receiver Gage Larvadain was also with him, and helped to spot him. The quarterback has been seen training with barbell rows, squats, and auxiliary movements alongside throwing work with teammates, with many clips going viral.
NFL quarterbacks usually do not focus on bench presses, as it is not that useful for their roles. Quarterback draft prospects often skip the bench press test at Scouting Combines, with Sanders having done the same in 2025. Many fans did not like how Sanders was focusing on bench pressing instead of other training methods.
Fans roast Shedeur Sanders for bench pressing
Many fans thought it was futile for Sanders to be bench pressing instead of other quarterback-friendly exercises. Some also thought he was repping too low of a weight at 185.
One user wrote, “Brother putting up highschool numbers in the NFL acting tough 😂”.
A second user said, “I dont want my qb bench pressing. Its counterintuitive to qb performance. Toghtend the chest muscles and shoulders preventing maximum throwing motion and range”.
A third user replied, “Needs to be learning how to be a better QB because he’s not good at all.”
Another added, “All this just to have the worst QBR in the league”.
A fifth user remarked, “That’s so easy. I can rep that 10 times full range. He has a bumper. Pussie.”
A sixth user commented, “Qb’s shouldn’t bench press with barbells at all, it’s not good the shoulder.”
Shedeur Sanders is preparing for the 2026 NFL season, where he will have to fight for the starting role.