49ers' Kyle Shanahan Says It's 'Weird' Facing Shedeur Sanders After Idolizing Deion

On Sunday, Kyle Shanahan will be tasked with leading the San Francisco 49ers past the new Cleveland Browns starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.

Once upon a time, Shanahan was rooting for Sanders' father, Deion. The Niners head coach said it will be "weird' going up against his former idol's son.

"It is weird because [Deion Sanders] was my hero growing up," Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday.

The elder Sanders had a 14-year NFL career as a cornerback and a prolific returner. The Hall of Famer won a Defensive Player of the Year award in 1994 during his sole season with the 49ers.

Now, his son is trying to carve out his own NFL career.

Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut in Week 11 when he came in for a concussed Dillon Gabriel. His first outing was rough, but he made up for it in his first start last week, throwing for 209 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-20 passing in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

▶️  Full Browns-Raiders Recap

05:53

That performance was enough to earn him the starting job against the Niners this week, and he'll look to lead the Browns to consecutive wins for the first time this year.