Former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski traded his AFC North membership card for a spot in the NFC South when he was fired from his longtime post in Cleveland back in January. Although he won two Coach of the Year awards during his time in Ohio, the Browns finished their 2025 campaign with a record of 5–12.
In his final year at the helm, Stefanski notably worked with soon-to-be second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose unprecedented slide in the 2025 draft made him the object of much public fascination in his first year in the NFL. Sanders, only 24, handled the outsized pressure quite well, even amid unfounded allegations of some sort of rift or bad blood between himself and Stefanski.
Well, for anyone who still had their doubts on that front, Stefanski's comments on the latest episode of Pardon My Take should put those concerns to rest.
Speaking relatively freely about the former Colorado signal-caller, Stefanski said the following on the ep released Friday:
"i will say this: I love Shedeur. I loved coaching him, seriously. He's got the right makeup for this game, he was wired the right way. I wish that we won more, obviously, but if you saw how he played down the stretch, I mean, he's a young player that's getting better. I'm not coaching him anymore, so I know I have to be careful about talking about other players, but I am rooting for him."
Sanders started seven games for the Browns last year, though he began the season as the third-stringer. To his credit, he did show some flashes of brilliance in that brief window, although not enough to guarantee him the starting job moving forward. Now, he'll be competing for that honor with fellow sophomore Dillon Gabriel and rehabbing veteran Deshaun Watson.
It is nice to hear Stefanski speak so highly of Sanders, especially since he kept things pretty tight-lipped (and understandably so) while he was in Cleveland. We'll see soon whether or not Sanders proves the newly minted Falcons coach right
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- Why One NFL Team Told Fernando Mendoza They Hope He Gets Arrested Before NFL Draft
- Diego Pavia Had Blunt Answer for NFL Teams That Might Be Concerned About His Size
- Fernando Mendoza Says He Had a 'Very Special' Phone Conversation With Tom Brady
- SI:AM | The Most Important NFL Grades
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ex-Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski Shares High Praise for Sheduer Sanders: 'I'm Rooting for Him'.
