‘It’s unfair’ – Shawn Merriman drops truth bomb on why the league is ‘picking and choosing’ to hate Shedeur Sanders
As the NFL world gathers for Super Bowl LX, the conversation at Radio Row has momentarily shifted back to a familiar (and exhausting) place.
Forget the impending matchup between the Seahawks and Patriots, the spotlight once again found its way back to the league’s most debated rookie: Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Despite a rollercoaster season that saw him start just seven games, Sanders found himself in San Francisco this week as a Pro Bowl replacement.
But according to NFL legend Shawne Merriman, the noise surrounding Sanders’ production misses the point entirely.
In an exclusive sit-down with talkSPORT’s own Will Varney, the former All-Pro linebacker laid out a blunt defense of the young signal-caller, suggesting that Sanders has been battling an uphill climb since the day he was drafted.
The primary friction in Sanders’ rookie year was his fit within former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s system. While Sanders eventually took the reins late in the season, Merriman believes the environment was toxic from the start.
“I don’t think somebody wanted him there in Cleveland, whether that was Stefanski the head coach, or whoever it was,” Merriman told Varney. “He really didn’t get a fair shot.”
The narrative has shifted recently with the hiring of Todd Monken as Cleveland’s new head coach. Monken, the former Ravens offensive coordinator, reportedly coveted Sanders during the 2025 draft.
Merriman sees this as the reset Sanders desperately needs.
“So let’s see what he’s got with a full year under his belt with a head coach who actually wanted to draft him when he was with the Ravens,” he said. “Let’s see what comes out of it.”
The shift in energy is already palpable.
Recent footage of Monken arriving at the Browns’ facility shows a stark contrast to the stoneface approach of the past.
Upon meeting Sanders for the first time as his head coach, Monken greeted him with immediate enthusiasm, saying, “We tried to draft your ass last year. It’s all worked out.”
Sanders’ inclusion to the Pro Bowl, aided by injuries and Super Bowl absences, has been met with a wave of online criticism. To Merriman, the “eccentric” label applied to Shedeur is often a mask for a deeper, more personal bias.
“Shedeur has a lot of ‘hate’—people love him, but they also hate him equally for whatever reason,” Merriman observed. When asked by Varney if that treatment is unfair, Merriman didn’t hesitate.
“It’s unfair because people pick and choose why they don’t like you. They already don’t like you, they don’t need a reason,” Merriman continued. “If he says one thing it’s going to be plastered everywhere and they didn’t see everything else he said.”
As the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur has lived his entire life in a fishbowl.
Merriman argues that while the spotlight is inevitable, it shouldn’t be used to diminish the “great kid” he met at the East-West Shrine Bowl last year.
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“Because of who he is, who his dad is, and everything that happened with the draft, he’s going to be a polarizing figure no matter what he does,” Merriman concluded. “The only thing he can do to combat that and get people off his back is to play well.”
At the Pro Bowl Games, Sanders made history as the first former HBCU quarterback to appear since Steve McNair in 2005.
Despite a shaky start with an interception on his opening drive, the Browns’ rookie showcased his arm talent in the flag football format, with defense being extremely optional, finishing with two touchdown passes, including a strike to Nico Collins, and a successful two-point conversion.
While he ended the night with a second interception in the AFC’s 66–52 loss, it was a harmless and entertaining affair.
With Monken now at the helm and a (controversial) Pro Bowl appearance on his resume, the 2026 season will be the ultimate test of whether “playing well” is enough to silence the doubters.
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