Shedeur Sanders made his highly-anticipated NFL debut for the Cleveland Browns in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens. He put on a disastrous performance and is now being called out for his questionable antics towards Lamar Jackson after the game. This continues his string of being a major storyline, but not necessarily for the right reasons.
Shedeur Sanders Called Out for Ignoring Lamar Jackson
Immediately after NFL games conclude, most players meet on the field with the opposing team to share a few words and demonstrate sportsmanship. Sanders opted not to participate in this ritual following the Browns’ Week 11 loss to the Ravens.
The rookie quarterback sat alone on the bench, seemingly reflecting on a rough debut. Jackson tried to bring him into the postgame interactions, but Sanders stayed back. That hesitation drew criticism from former head coach Rex Ryan, who called him out on Get Up the next morning.
“Shedeur has got to get over himself. He’s there by himself on the bench. I’ve never seen that before. I’ve seen it after the seventh game of a World Series, when you lose the game or whatever, but this is a pillow fight game. Nobody cares.”
“Did he care? Or are you trying to make it a show of making it about yourself? You got a guy over there, who by the way is a two-time MVP, Lamar Jackson, he was looking for you. Go share a moment with him. Share a moment with Lamar, he’s looking all over for you,” expressed Ryan.
Rex Ryan on Shedeur Sanders sitting on the Browns bench by himself following their loss to the Ravens in his NFL debut: “Did he care? Or are you trying to make it a show of making it about yourself?” pic.twitter.com/TH9livTBwx
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2025
Sanders was called upon to replace Dillon Gabriel, who suffered a concussion during the game. His debut couldn’t have been much worse than it was as he completed just four of his 16 passing attempts for 47 yards and an interception. He contributed to the Browns blowing their lead and eventually losing a game against the Ravens that they allowed to slip away.
Many around the NFL had been urging the Browns to give him an opportunity, especially with Gabriel entering the week ranked 37th of 38 qualified quarterbacks in PFSN’s Impact Rankings for this season.
The prevailing thought was that Sanders couldn’t be worse than what Gabriel had given them, but he apparently proved that theory wrong. Being called out for his postgame isolation caps off what was a disastrous day for the polarizing prospect.