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Mother of Cleveland Browns quarterback. Sheader Sanders mentioned her son in a cryptic Instagram comment on Friday after it was reported that the rookie had been promoted to the team's backup quarterback role.
Pilar Sanders posted a video of herself in the kitchen preparing a huge seafood stuffing that included fried shrimp and lobster. The top comment on the post asked her: “Are you preparing all this for Sheder? named QB2?”
The mother responded with a cryptic statement.
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Sheader Sanders warms up before a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on September 28, 2025. (David Reginek/Imagn Images)
“For Sheder, yes – we know that 2 was always 1 – the matrix will try to make you believe anything hahahaha – never fall for tall tales,” she wrote. She did not elaborate or specify what she was talking about.
Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who coached him at the University of Colorado, has been the subject of intense media attention and speculation since he was drafted in April.
After the Browns traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this week, fans and pundits speculated whether Sanders would be relegated to the secondary or remain at third behind Bailey Zappe.
The quarterback was the subject of one of the most shocking falls in NFL draft history in April, when he fell from a potential No. 1 overall pick to the 144th pick in the fifth round.
On Tuesday before the draft, NFL media released A quick look at the top 18 prospects in this year's class.
Sanders' section included comments from an anonymous assistant coach who said Sanders was “the worst formal interview I've ever done in my life. He has that right. He takes unnecessary bags. He never plays on time. He has terrible body language. He blames his teammates.
The anonymous longtime executive added: “Our interview didn’t go very well. He wants to dictate what he is going to do and what is best for him. It makes you feel insignificant.”
NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson fueled Sanders-related conspiracy theories in an August interview, saying NFL teams were “told” not to draft Sanders to “set an example” for the quarterback when he fell in the fifth round.
Cam Newton makes a bold statement about Browns' motives and treatment of Sheader Sanders
Cleveland Browns defensive back Sheader Sanders walks off the field after practice in Berea, Ohio, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogroki)
“I'm telling you this: I heard from someone in the NFL. [is] what the NFL said [teams]“Don't call him. Don’t pick him,” Dickerson said in an interview with AM 570 LA Sports’ “Roggin and Rodney” show.
“We're going to make an example out of him.” And it came from a very good source, a very good source. They were going to have him go undrafted to essentially show you, “This is what happens when you do this.” I mean, look, the NFL has all the power. They do all sorts of things.”
Sanders' first-round exit shocked many, including President Trump, who posted on Truth Social condemning the league's owners for passing on the quarterback.
“What is wrong with the NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and he was even better in the NFL. He is also a very good trainer, experienced and smart! That's why Sheader, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES and is poised for greatness,” Trump wrote. “He must be “selected” IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck, Sheder, and say hi to your wonderful dad!”
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith posted a text message from a colleague who compared the situation to Colin Kaepernick's absence from the NFL since 2016, suggesting “collusion.”
“This is a bad look at the NFL. It looks like Kaepernick-level collusion,” Smith said of the text's content, adding that the situation goes beyond “talent evaluation.”
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Pilar Sanders and Sheder Sanders (Getty Images)
“All the hard work the NFL League office puts into rooting out this type of thinking, only to turn around and see the OWNERS looking like they're in cahoots ruining it. What was done with Sheader will overshadow everything else in this draft. We will never believe that this is just a talent assessment again.”
Sanders has yet to play in an NFL regular-season game, but his first appearance could come as early as this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers if the starter and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel are forced out of the game for any reason.
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