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Shedeur Sanders Reacts to Career News Amid Criticism

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sami Haider | Last updated Jan 27, 2026 3:54 PM ET

Coach Prime’s son, Shedeur Sanders, had a story filled with more twists and turns than any other NFL rookie this season. The first shock was his fifth-round slide from the first-round projection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Then, when he joined the Browns quarterback room as the 144th overall pick, he opened as third string behind veteran Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. But after Flacco was traded to Cincinnati in October and Gabriel suffered a concussion in Week 11, the starting job belonged to Sanders for the rest of the regular season.

Sanders put up pedestrian numbers in his rookie season, passing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 169 yards and one TD.

Despite, Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl on Monday, and the Browns QB thanked God and supporters after replacing the New England Patriots Drake Maye' on the AFC roster.

The 23-year-old ended his rookie season with a 3-4 record after embracing the starting role in Week 12.

"Thank you God," Sanders said via Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi. "I'm beyond excited and extremely grateful for all the love and support from the coaches, players and fans. This wouldn't be possible without the support behind me. Still plenty of work to do."

Shedeur Sanders: “Thank you God. I'm beyond excited and extremely grateful for all the love and support from the coaches, players, and fans. This wouldn't be possible without the support behind me. Still plenty of work to do.” https://t.co/wB0TdvVsdr
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) January 27, 2026

After the Browns ended their season with a 5-12 record, GM Andrew Berry wouldn’t commit to Sanders as the 2026 starter. His numbers were not as impressive as some other AFC QBs who were not selected for this year's team, including Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans and Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

So, the backlash Coach Prime's son is receiving now is not completely baseless. ESPN's Marcus Spears didn't hesitate to call the nod "about marketing."

However, it is also true that the rookie signal-caller earned attention through his late-season moments. He threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. Then, against the Buffalo Bills, he kept the Browns competitive against a Super Bowl contender.

He finished the season with back-to-back wins over division rivals, defeating Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers followed by Burrow and the Bengals.

Those late displays likely helped him become the first Browns quarterback named to the Pro Bowl since Derek Anderson in 2008.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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