Shedeur Sanders had no interest in turning his Wednesday media session into a discussion about his agent.
With a possible start approaching, the Cleveland Browns quarterback brushed aside a question about his representation and kept the conversation pointed toward football. His supporters had plenty more to say about the exchange, especially the reporter asking the question.
ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi brought up Sanders' decision to hire an agent during Wednesday's availability. Sanders quickly questioned the relevance.
"What that got to do with this game?" Sanders responded in footage shared by Browns reporter Daryl Ruiter.
The business question had some background. Sanders hired Adie von Gontard of Young Money APAA Sports in October , having entered the NFL without an agent. The move generated speculation about his future ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Hiring representation, however, does not establish that a player has requested a trade. Sanders offered no explanation of his motives during this exchange.
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Fans responding to the clip largely applauded his decision to shut down that line of questioning.
"Well, what does it have to do with the game? Always tryna set him up to fail smh," one fan wrote .
Another supporter viewed the response as evidence that Sanders had adjusted his approach to dealing with Grossi.
"Yeah 2 (Sanders) learned his lesson, he don't [expletive] with his bum [expletive]. I love it," the fan added .
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That interpretation belongs to the fan. Sanders' answer itself was brief, and he did not accuse Grossi of trying to undermine him.
Other responses were equally enthusiastic about the quarterback's answer.
"He's 100% correct. I commend him for that answer!!" another fan wrote .
One reaction went directly after the reporter.
"Grossi is a loser," a user posted .
Another supporter criticized the coverage Sanders receives, writing, "He can't stand them people 😂😂 I don't blame him… all they do is talk [expletive] about him 🤦🏾♀️," in a response to the clip .
"😂😂😂😂😂 I know he (is) tired of Grossi," another fan added .
Sanders has a potentially significant football assignment to prepare for. Cleveland announced Wednesday that Deshaun Watson had been placed in the concussion protocol after he reported Tuesday morning that he began experiencing symptoms Monday night.
Watson, who ranks 22nd on PFN's QB Impact Metric , had returned to that game after being evaluated and cleared. The Browns said subsequent evaluations also cleared him before he developed symptoms Monday night.
His availability leaves Sanders potentially in line to start against New Orleans. Taking first-team practice reps would give the second-year quarterback an opportunity to prepare for a much larger role.
For fans celebrating his answer, the appeal was straightforward. Sanders declined to explain a personal business decision, and the exchange ended without him offering a new round of trade speculation.
His agent can handle the phone calls, as Sanders has a Saints defense to study.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
