Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made waves by collecting two speeding tickets within a week. He’s part of the team’s four-way quarterback battle and is adjusting to life away from his father for the first time.
Browns’ QB Shedeur Sanders Faces Scrutiny After Recent Speeding Violations
The Browns overhauled their offense after finishing with a historically bad unit in 2024. The team fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and promoted Tommy Rees. They then traded for Kenny Pickett, signed Joe Flacco, and selected Dillon Gabriel and Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The four-way quarterback battle has brought much media attention that will likely carry through all of training camp, and Sanders’ fame has added to the scrutiny. Sanders’ run-ins with the police have put the rookie in a bad spot after he established himself as a legitimate contender for the QB1 job.
Sanders received his first speeding ticket on June 6 for driving 91 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 71. The second citation came on June 17, when he was pulled over for allegedly driving 101 mph in a 60 mph zone at 12:30 a.m.
He’ll now have to adjust how he operates moving forward, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently discussed Sanders and how his unique journey to the NFL has likely caused his drama.
Sanders’ Draft Slide and Current Standing with Browns
Sanders is the son of Hall of Fame cornerback and current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. He’s away from his family for the first time in his football career, which presents its own set of challenges for the young quarterback.
Before the speeding incidents, Shedeur had put together an impressive three days of minicamp. During the team’s open-to-the-media sessions, he had the highest completion percentage (77.4%) among the four healthy Cleveland quarterbacks. The tickets have seemingly destroyed a lot of the goodwill he had built up with the media.
Shedeur Sanders can’t afford to do anything wrong. @AdamSchefter | @ZipRecruiter | @ESPNCleveland pic.twitter.com/3zyHTdDBGs
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) June 24, 2025
While the incidents shouldn’t affect his spot on the roster, Shedeur will have to work even harder to prove his doubters wrong. Pickett and Flacco are likely to duel for the Week 1 starting job, but Shedeur had the early advantage over Gabriel before the speeding issues arose.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently weighed in on Sanders’ chances of starting Week 1, stating on Unsportsmanlike Radio: “Not at the start of the season, I don’t think. Unless he just comes in and lights it up like we have never seen.”
Schefter said, “With Shedeur [Sanders], I think it’s another reminder, in a process that started in the days leading up to the draft, that this is a different league and a different time in his life. This is the first time that he’s not playing for his father. In a way, this is a reverse college experience.
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“Most players leave high school and go to college, and are away from their parents for the first time…So it’s an adjustment, and there’s a lot that comes along with that. I think that between going through the draft process, the draft itself, and now this, I would think each one of those would be a different kind of shock.”