Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco doesn't want to hear your questions about whether he's going to be a mentor to Shedeur Sanders this year. But it already seems as though the veteran is taking Sanders under his wing, as seen at the Browns' mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday.
After Sanders got in some 11-on-11 work on the field, Flacco could be seen coaching up the rookie on the sidelines. The 40-year-old appeared to make a throwing motion while addressing Sanders, who stood nearby listening intently.
Here's a look at that teaching moment:
As Browns QBs pull up film to review on sideline of practice, Joe Flacco appears to be giving Shedeur Sanders advice after Shedeur’s 11-on-11 work pic.twitter.com/QR0nNKguUF
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) June 10, 2025
Sanders later shared what Flacco told him during that moment:
"How to get through the reads quicker and those type of things," Sanders said Tuesday. "I asked him, 'Hey, let me know what you think, what I need to do.' He's seen and he's played it. He's a pro. I'd be dumb, I'd be a fool to not get insight from somebody that has success over all the years that he has."
With the Browns' starting quarterback job very much up for grabs this season, Flacco isn't exactly doing himself any favors by sharing his wisdom with Sanders. That being said, he is showing an unselfish and altruistic side that could help build chemistry and boost morale in the Browns' crowded QB room.
Flacco doesn't seem to be giving preferential treatment to one rookie quarterback over the other, either, as he was also seen spending time with third-round pick Dillon Gabriel for a Browns photoshoot.
Ultimately, it'll be up to each of the Browns' four healthy quarterbacks (Flacco, Sanders, Gabriel and Kenny Pickett) to prove they have what it takes to be a reliable starter by the time the new season rolls around.
"Every day there's room for improvement in a lot of different areas in my game," Sanders told reporters on Tuesday. "I would say I'm always hungry. There's a lot of aspects in football that you could get better at—it's knowing the plays, it's physical, it's throwing, you could always get more precise with more things. I feel like I put in my day's work, but I know I'm far from where I want to be."
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cameras Caught Joe Flacco’s Teaching Moment With Shedeur Sanders at Browns Practice.