Shedeur Sanders is entering his second season in the NFL, and he’ll wear a new number for the Cleveland Browns. The quarterback will switch to No. 2 as he starts the second chapter of his career; as a rookie, he wore No. 12.
Why Shedeur Sanders Is Changing Jerseys for His Sophomore NFL Season
Sanders finished the 2025 season as the starter in Cleveland. A disappointing year for the franchise led to Kevin Stefanski’s firing, with three quarterbacks starting games over the 17-game season. Although none of them impressed, Sanders had the best record.
That was no guarantee for his future with the franchise. He’ll be facing Deshaun Watson in a direct battle for the starting spot in 2026 under head coach Todd Monken. And Sanders will do so with a new jersey number, with his official switch announced on Monday.
The No. 2 jersey wasn’t available in 2025. DeAndre Carter, a journeyman wide receiver, took the number less than a month before Sanders was drafted by the Browns.
Carter didn’t play for most of the season after suffering a serious knee injury in September and missing the rest of the year. Sanders never played with Carter; he had no receptions in 2025.
S2 ⌚
Shedeur Sanders will wear number 2 next season pic.twitter.com/7ahSitctcs
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 30, 2026
Sanders’ relationship with the No. 2 goes back to his college days. He wore the No. 2 jersey in his two seasons starting for Colorado and did the same in his initial stint at Jackson State. Because he was one of the most popular players on the roster, many fans bought his No. 12 jersey.
They’ll now hope to see a better performance from Sanders. He finished his rookie season with 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The Browns went 3 -4 in the 7 games he started, but none of his individual performances were good. He never established himself as a true franchise quarterback.
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The quarterback position was a huge problem for the Browns. Sanders finished as No. 46 in our PFSN QB Impact Metric, while Dillon Gabriel was ranked as No. 47. Part of the reason for Stefanski’s firing was his inability to elevate quarterback play from Sanders, Gabriel, and Flacco.
The Browns hold the sixth overall pick in the 2026 draft, and they’re highly unlikely to spend their first-round pick on a quarterback. All signs point to a battle between Sanders and Watson for the starting job, but whoever wins, the likelihood is that no one will be impressed with the play on the field.
