Shedeur Sanders has officially entered his “motivational speaker with a helmet” era. And this time, his message isn’t just for teammates. He’s coming for the media too.
Yes, the Cleveland media. According to Shedeur, it’s time for everyone to bring “winning energy” this season. Not just on the field, not just in the locker room, but apparently, in press conferences, headlines, and probably even tweet captions, because nothing says championships like good vibes from reporters.
“We need y’all to have a new vibe, a new energy,” – Shedeur Sanders to the Cleveland media. pic.twitter.com/YqYVVNj9kM
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) April 21, 2026
After splitting starting reps with Deshaun Watson at practice, Sanders raved about the “new energy” Monken’s staff has brought to Cleveland.
“They’re going to understand and embrace you just as a person, and then they push you each and every day in the meeting room, on the field, in the weight room,” Sanders said. “It’s a new vibe, a new energy.”
“We need y’all to have a new vibe, a new energy,” Sanders continued. “I know y’all want us to win, so we need a winning energy here. We can’t have too much negativity going on. We want the players to be the best version of ourselves for y’all.”
Sanders completed 56.6% of his passes during the 2025 season for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. An argument can be made that he didn’t have a ton of help around him.
Whether the media buys into this “winning energy” campaign is another story. Reporters aren’t exactly known for switching to motivational mode overnight. But hey, stranger things have happened.
In the end, Shedeur isn’t just talking about football, he’s talking about mindset. He wants a fresh vibe, a reset, a season that feels different.
Now the real question is: can “winning energy” survive a bad first quarter? Because that’s when the real test begins.
