Pro Bowl 2026: Candid Shedeur Sanders Calls Joe Flacco the “Grandpa of Football” for the AFC

It seems like a lifetime has passed since we saw Joe Flacco standing on the Super Bowl stage, hoisting the Lombardi trophy, and receiving the keys to a 2014 C7 Chevy Corvette. Well, Shedeur Sanders thinks it was indeed that far back in time.

The Cleveland Browns’ rookie was only 10 years old when he saw the now-41-year-old Flacco lead the Baltimore Ravens to victory at Super Bowl XLVII. And Sanders now finds himself sharing a roster with the veteran once again.

Only this time, it’s a Pro Bowl roster. “It’s truly amazing, truly exciting,” Sanders beamed during his first-ever Pro Bowl interview.

“I’m excited to see Flacco when I see him today… He’s the grandpa of football for us. I’m looking forward to it,” Sanders added, respect brimming in his voice.

Sanders’ admiration for the former Raven was apparent when the two of them found themselves competing against eachotherin the Browns’ offseason quarterback competition. Sanders then told one reporter that the veteran has yet to pay up on a previous agreement of theirs.

“He didn’t tell you about what he owes me,” the Colorado product slyly remarked. “Ask Flacco, when you see him, ‘Hey. Do you owe Shedeur anything?'”

The 23-year-old didn’t explain whether Flacco’s debt came from a private wager or something else. But Sanders wants what is owed to him. The light banter aside, Sanders is well aware of the opportunity that lies in front of him with the Pro Bowl, even though he always believed that he would eventually be on the platform.

“From the first time I got to Cleveland, to knowing that this was going to be at the end of it, it’s just surreal. There’s a lot of great players and great people here… I have a great feel at this level, so I know what to expect… I just gotta get out there and look at everybody kind of like they are on the same level, and just get out there and go to work. I think that’s all it is, just a mental thing,” said Sanders.

Seeing as Sanders had to endure one of the toughest starts to an NFL career in recent history, this Pro Bowl will be nothing short of an outright celebration of his tenacity. Having been seemingly slighted at each and every turn, he now has an opportunity to prove that he can not only play with, but rival some of the most prominent players in the league today. That could go a long way toward helping him secure more starting reps as a sophomore in 2026.