Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a rough go of it during the Browns' preseason finale vs. the Rams on Saturday, but his veteran counterpart is insisting it's all just part of the NFL journey.
Speaking after the afternoon contest, when he threw for 71 yards and one touchdown, the 40-year-old Flacco offered Sanders some wise words of wisdom, which included an encouraging message for the rookie in the aftermath of the less-than-stellar performance.
"Yeah, dude, I remember. I remember big time. I can remember just like yesterday," Flacco said when asked if he remembers how difficult it was to be "thrown into the action" at that stage in your career. "That’s part of being a rookie. You’re going to get thrown into situations that maybe you don’t think are ideal.
"I got thrown into a game against New England with two minutes left," he continued. "I fumbled on the one-yard line. They scored two plays later, and that was John Harbaugh’s first preseason game. He was not happy. I wasn’t happy either. But hey, it's part of the game. It's part of what makes a football player is learning how to deal with those situations and learn from them. So listen, we've all been there. It's part of the game."
Watch that below:
#Browns QB Joe Flacco on Shedeur Sanders having a tough outing today, shared a similar experience he had as a rookie that made him better: pic.twitter.com/IrqusozDra
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 23, 2025
Flacco is a Super Bowl winner with what will be 18 NFL seasons under his belt after this campaign; surely, his take on the matter should carry some weight. A great reminder ahead of roster cutdowns that the road to success is long and winding, and that Sanders's third NFL game ever doesn't have to define his legacy.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joe Flacco Had Encouraging Message for Shedeur Sanders After Rough Preseason Game.
