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If an ominous message from polarizing Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is any indication, new head coach Todd Monken may not be around for very long.
Cleveland named Monken its coach on January 28, replacing the fired Kevin Stefanski. Shortly after, on February 5, Monken celebrated his 60th birthday.
On Wednesday, Monken revealed that Sanders sent him quite the birthday present. Although it may not be exactly what Monken was hoping for.
Shedeur is so happy to finally have a coach that wants to work with him. I love that Todd Monken isn’t dodging any Shedeur questions and has been talking about him enthusiastically. It’s a new day in Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/GVMIdKkFV3
— Bird (@Birdshu) February 26, 2026
“For my birthday, I got this package. I thought it was from my wife … (I) open it up, it’s like this porcelain horse head,” Monken said. “And it’s from Shedeur. He sent me a gift on my birthday.
“And I asked him, ‘What was the meaning?’ He said, ‘Well, I just really liked it. I got myself one.”
Shedeur Sanders Seems To Have Sent Todd Monken A Clear Threat
For anyone familiar with the legendary movie The Godfather, it’s clear what the horse head means.
In the film, mob boss Don Corleone sends the decapitated head of producer Jack Woltz’s prize racehorse to his bed to force him to cast Johnny Fontane in an upcoming movie.
The movie made the horse head a famous symbol. But the concept was based on Sicilian Mafia intimidation tactics, where delivering severed animal parts is often used to send a message to extortion victims, showing that nowhere and nobody is safe from the mob’s reach.
Now, is it possible that Sanders was entirely unaware of this? Sure. After all, the further we get away from The Godfather, which was made in 1972, the fewer people have actually seen the iconic film.
But it’s a pretty famous scene, and a pretty famous concept.
So it’s equally possible that Sanders was sending a message to Monken: Do right by him and his family, or face the consequences.
Although something tells us the Sanders family isn’t going to off Todd Monken the way that Don Corleone would have.