Shedeur Sanders Hints He Chose No. 12 Browns Jersey as Reference to Deion's Number

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders strongly hinted during the latest edition of Best Podcast Available that he chose No. 12 in honor of his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who wore No. 21 for his first 12 NFL seasons (11:25 mark).

"You get the hint. You get the hint," Sanders said when Cleveland Browns Radio Network play-by-play announcer Andrew Siliciano noted that he's wearing the elder Sanders' number backwards.

"So, yeah, it felt good wearing it for sure. It felt good wearing it. Any number gonna feel good wearing, it's about what I do in a number, for real."

Sanders wore No. 2 at Colorado, while his teammate, Heisman Trophy winner and now Jacksonville Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter, took No. 12. Now Sanders is wearing No. 12 in Cleveland as he embarks on his pro career.

Sanders was once seen as a potential No. 1 overall pick early in the pre-draft process, but he ended up sliding to the fifth round and coming off the board at No. 144 overall.

Despite the fall, Sanders has an opportunity in Cleveland to write his own legacy. The door is open for him to assume the starting quarterback job at some point. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero previously reported on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday (1:15 mark) that the QB competition in town is "wide-open," although veteran Joe Flacco is seen as having "the leg up" at the moment.

Still, the chance is there for Sanders, now in a new No. 12 jersey, to prove the naysayers wrong.