“Part Coach, Part Father”: Todd Monken Reveals Details Behind Conversation With Deion Sanders Regarding Shedeur

A meeting two months in the making has finally happened. Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders showed up at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus to talk ball with Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken. With second-year quarterback and Deion’s son Shedeur Sanders getting first-team reps on Thursday, the setting was perfect for Coach Prime to share his two cents with Monken.

“That was really cool,” Monken said of their meeting. “That was beyond standard, are you kidding me? Forget that it’s Shedeur’s dad. First of all, he did an unbelievable job with Shedeur. Great kid. Obviously an elite football player. Hell [of a] baseball player. And then as a coach, everything that he’s achieved. That was awesome.”

Back in his playing days, Deion was everything you could want in an athlete. He played Major League Baseball for nine seasons. He was a rapper, and as a lockdown corner in the NFL, he was, in his own words, “The IT,” a dynamic playmaker who shut down his side of the field both on offense and defense. Monken’s assessment of their meeting lands exactly in that spot.

“We just started telling stories, and then we really didn’t get almost any football,” Monken said. “We got into NIL and Jackson State and Colorado and how we almost drafted him (Shedeur) in Baltimore and that crazy scenario, and what a great job Shedeur has done since I’ve been here in terms of his development. And so it was good. It was part coach, part father, which is what it should be.”

NCAA, College League, USA Football 2025: Colorado Vs West Virginia NOV 08 November 8, 2025: Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on during warm ups prior to the NCAA football game between Colorado and West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WV. Brian Fisher/CSM Credit Image: Â Brian Fisher/Cal Media Morgantown Wv United States of America EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20251108_zma_c04_009.jpg BrianxFisherx csmphotothree439939

Back in May, on the Barbershop podcast, Coach Prime revealed that he wanted to meet Todd Monken “as a coach, not the dad” to show the head coach how to get the best out of Shedeur on the field. Having coached Shedeur through his college years at Jackson State and Colorado, Deion knew exactly how to get Shedeur going. Monken had already noted in June that he was “open anytime [Deion] wants to meet.” And now, that meeting is done.

How that translates on the practice field will be revealed as the camp progresses, but Shedeur has already noted similarities between Monken and Deion’s systems. Building on that, he’s made some highlight plays with the rookie receivers on Wednesday. Per Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, Coach Monken has already “got some good insight from Deion Sanders on Shedeur.”

Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, had a rough start to camp, throwing consecutive interceptions and struggling with accuracy. General Manager Andrew Berry noted in Thursday’s presser that the Browns are likely to have their starting quarterback decided before Week 1 of the regular season. Berry also said that they do not see “a need to make any decisions about the future right now.” Instead, the Browns are continuing their evaluation one rep at a time.

With Watson struggling, Shedeur finding his stride, and Todd Monken saying that “their play decides who the starter is,” the quarterback question that has plagued Cleveland all offseason might be very close to being answered. As for Deion Sanders, he’ll certainly be watching the progress closely, ready to connect with Coach Monken if the need arises again.

The post “Part Coach, Part Father”: Todd Monken Reveals Details Behind Conversation With Deion Sanders Regarding Shedeur appeared first on EssentiallySports.