Shedeur Sanders Thinks You’ve Got Him All Wrong

Burt Reynolds’s 1972 centerfold in Cosmopolitan was, simply put, a major moment in pop culture. It was our magazine’s—any magazine’s—first time featuring a man in that kind of spread, and it cemented Burt’s status as one of America’s sexiest men. In homage, we’re continuing the Cosmo Centerfold series, in which we showcase the hottest celebs of our time. You’ll have to pick up an actual Cosmo to see it in the flesh. Enjoy!Shedeur Sanders is football royalty. So it only makes sense that after this photo shoot in a sweltering Brooklyn house, he’s lying out on a brown antique couch in the basement in nothing but his boxers, posed like Adonis. He laughs with a full-faced smile when I ask if he’d like a second to get dressed before we start the interview. “Nah, it’s alright,” he says, flashing a pair of pearly whites that are almost blinding. In an hour, he’s headed to the 2026 ESPYs, and there’s no time to waste—not even for a shirt or pants. And I’m positive the women of TikTok who spend their time making fan edits of the rising 24-year-old NFL quarterback, calling him “’90s fine,” would be quite excited to be in my position.Shedeur was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played in eight games last season, starting seven as QB1, and is entering his sophomore season. “I want to focus on my decision-making this season but also even in my real life. I want to get better mentally, make faster, more effective decisions across the board,” Shedeur tells Cosmo.Coat Todd Snyder, shirt Willy Chavarria, watch Audemars Piguet. Football is the only true thing on Shedeur’s mind right now—which makes sense, given who his father is. Deion Sanders, known colloquially as “Coach Prime,” is an American football coach and legendary former dual-sport professional athlete. He played 14 seasons in the NFL and is the only person in sports history to compete in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Shedeur played his final season of college football under his father, starting as quarterback for the University of Colorado.Shedeur is young; you can see it in his eyes, the way he moves from topic to topic. His boisterous energy floats through the room as he parses through the displayed jewelry set out for him. He’ll be wearing a blue and gray suit to the sports awards show and needs shiny pieces to match. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants, but he’s sure to stumble upon the right choice, even if he isn’t aware of what that is just yet.“I can’t play God,” Shedeur says. “Whatever is gonna happen is gonna happen. Whether that’s in my career, in relationships, anything. I’ve learned that you’re not really in control. The only thing I can control is my effort in my everyday life.”Coat Todd Snyder, shirt Willy Chavarria, jeans Fear of God, sneakers Nike, sunglasses Oakley, tie Brooks Brothers. There’s a latent confidence that exists under the surface, a reminder that he is still growing up but ready for whatever, even if he is already on the biggest stage for football.“I don’t really know what anybody says about anything,” Shedeur says when asked if he’s looking at what the internet thinks about him starting—or not starting—this season. “I live in my own world.”There’s not much that seems to pull his interest, especially when it comes to dating right now. (Sorry to the many women looking for their in.) The Cleveland Browns player is more focused on pigskin than partnership. In his mind, all of that—dating, marriage—will come eventually. There’s a lot of time on the clock when it comes to love. “I don’t really go out of my way for too much at this point in my life,” he says with that same smile. “Everything that I like is in my way already. It’s in my way and in my direction.”I want to connect with more people, so they can meet me and see the truth.—Shedeur SandersShedeur has grown up in the spotlight. His words are constantly dissected and vilified. His entire existence is under a magnifying glass. There have been reports from some “NFL insiders” that he’s arrogant, cocky, and brash—but there’s nuance missing when people make these claims. We rarely get to see Black men in this sport who aren’t forced to grovel before the NFL oligarchs for an opportunity. Men who don’t have to fall in line with the arbitrary rules of this sport. His father, Deion, reminds him at every turn that he is loved and the world is right at his fingertips, which may be why he walks around with his head a little higher. To some who’ve been told there are limits, Shedeur’s presence can feel threatening. But there’s a trust there between the father-son duo on how they choose to show up, which is why Deion is his first phone-a-friend, helping him make the final decision for his ESPYs look.Jacket and pants Hermès, shirt Louis Vuitton, sneakers Nike, sunglasses Prada Linea Rossa, gloves stylist’s own. Shedeur pulls me over after they talk in private for a few minutes, puts my face in the camera, and makes me say hello to Coach Prime. Deion’s face is clearly confused; the note about Shedeur’s Cosmo Centerfold interview must’ve gotten lost somewhere in the text thread. “Dad, she wants to know some dating advice,” Shedeur says, handing me the phone before trying on a few more accessories. “He’s really the one you need to be interviewing.” Deion says a few small notes about love, which causes Shedeur to jump in, claiming “that’s enough” and that he’s “preaching now.” Shedeur shows him his final look before clicking the phone off. Deion shouts as the call drops, “Be safe and wear a seatbelt.”“I protect my family, and I protect who I love,” Shedeur tells me later when discussing thinking about bringing a woman into his world. “I’m extremely picky with who comes around.”He doesn’t want a superfan or someone more interested in the lifestyle that comes with being a wife or girlfriend to an NFL player. “I got that question during the draft—how do I feel about WAGs,” he says. “Some coaches and people didn’t understand what I was saying. But how can I expect them to understand what I’m saying? I’m second-generation, so I look at a lot of things differently. It’s a different type of pressure. It’s a different type of attention you’re gonna get when you’re dating me.”Top Calvin Klein, jewelry Shedeur’s own, gloves and belt stylist’s own. He says he’s open to someone working in any career field though. “I’m more about, ‘What do you do now? And where are you trying to go? Are you trying to accomplish your goals in life?’ Because that’s what I do. Every day, I try to accomplish my goal, so I know what it feels like. I know what it looks like. And if you know what that feels like, you know what that looks like, then you’re gonna be able to enjoy vacation a little bit more. You’re gonna want to put the phone down and vibe a lot more.”And while he knows this much to be true, Shedeur doesn’t have a dream girl in mind. I asked him to share his ideal woman—what she looks like, what she does—and he says plainly: “If I knew that, I’d be cuffed right now.”A slow burn is top of mind when thinking of how he wants his next relationship to come. “Let’s truly be friends first. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. I’m in it for the long game. A lot of people like to rush too quickly,” he says.There’s no easy way to approach someone like Shedeur though. You’ll rarely find him alone, but he says when women do approach him, he likes it when they call him “handsome.” Easy enough.Jacket Nahmias, shirt Todd Snyder, jeans Calvin Klein, tie and gloves stylist’s own. Shedeur is making a name for himself, constantly being put on the line, and playing one of the most-watched games in the world. It isn’t a simple life, but he doesn’t seem scared of it. And even if he is, he doesn’t show it. But he wants that world, the one watching him, to know he isn’t some polarizing character they’ve made him out to be.“I wish people understood me more as a human being,” he says. “I don’t think a lot of people really know me. I’m just now starting to understand that. You hear a lot of things online, but every encounter I have in person, people end up saying, ‘Oh, wow, he’s actually a great guy.’ Why would you think I’m a bad guy? So I’ve been looking at things a lot more lately, like, ‘Why would people think this?’ It’s not something I’m going to put [solely] on myself, but I do want to fix that. I want to connect with more people, so they can meet me and see the truth.”I’m extremely picky with who comes around.—Shedeur SandersI immediately suggest that he do a speed dating event, bring in 100 people, and let them sit with him for five minutes. He laughs, “That would be really cool actually.”Before we wrap up the interview, Shedeur phones a second friend, his older brother Shilo, so that he can give me some dating advice, too. Shilo skeptically looks into the camera, wondering why I need this information, before saying he doesn’t really have any advice. Shedeur laughs, playing the younger-sibling role so well. As we’re walking out of the Brooklyn house, Shedeur looks at me with that same smile—that is sure to be the reason why he’s always able to get everything he wants—and daps me up, saying, “You tryna get me a girl with this interview.” I tell him there will definitely be someone interested after this.He quickly replies very playfully, teasing, “But it’s not like I’m really searching though.”Coat and scarf Calvin Klein Collection, sunglasses Moncler. Lead image: Top Calvin Klein, pants and belt (second from top) Lu’u Dan, jewelry Shedeur’s own, belts and gloves stylist’s own, watch Audemars Piguet. Styled by Jan-Michael Quammie. Grooming by Alexa Hernandez at The Wall Group.