Shedeur Sanders put pen to paper on Monday.
The Cleveland Browns announced that they’ve inked the fifth-round quarterback to his rookie contract. He’s the fourth of the team’s seven 2025 draft selections to be signed thus far.
Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was selected 144th overall by the Browns following an unprecedented slide down the draft board. The 23-year-old was touted by some as a first-round talent prior to last month’s festivities.
The younger Sanders appeared in 50 games at Colorado while being coached by his father. In 2024, he completed 74 per cent of his 477 passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sanders took home Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year as he led the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record, their most wins since 2016.
He now joins a packed QB room in Cleveland as the Browns try to shore up a position they’ve failed to find a long-term answer for in a very long time.
The Browns have had 40 quarterbacks make at least one start over the past 26 seasons, including 11 during Kevin Stefanski’s tenure as head coach.
This will be the first time since Stefanski was hired in 2020 that the starting spot isn’t settled going into the summer as the Browns attempt to dig themselves out of their disastrous 2022 trade for Deshaun Watson.
Watson’s days in Cleveland are numbered as he potentially will miss the entire 2025 season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in January. That occurred just three months after he initially injured it against Cincinnati. Watson is 9-10 with Cleveland with 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 80.7 passer rating. Owner Jimmy Haslam acknowledged last month the Browns “took a big swing and miss” with the trade.
Meanwhile, the Browns brought back veteran Joe Flacco, acquired former first-rounder Kenny Pickett via trade and drafted Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon in the third round all before adding Sanders.
Cleveland will have until its season-opener on Sept. 7, an AFC North rivalry game against the Cincinnati Bengals, to figure out which of its QB options will slot into the starter role.
— with files from the Associated Press
