Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders may not have secured a win for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but he delivered a performance strong enough to reshape the team’s quarterback outlook for the rest of the season. After weeks of naming Sanders the starter temporarily, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Monday that the fifth-round pick will hold the job for the remainder of the year.
It is a big change for Sanders, who arrived in Cleveland as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart and now has four games left to prove he can be the franchise’s long-term answer.
Shedeur Sanders Chats With Brother Shilo About Rumored Wardrobe Malfunction
While Sanders’ on-field growth drew praise, an unexpected viral moment from Sunday stole some of the attention. During the Cleveland Browns’ matchup against the Tennessee Titans, a hard tackle near the goal line sent Sanders sliding toward the turf. As he hit the ground, his pants shifted slightly, revealing a brief glimpse of his undergarments on the live broadcast.
The moment lasted mere seconds but spread across the internet, generating confusion, jokes, and even memes speculating that the rookie quarterback had been wearing a thong during the nationally televised game.
On Tuesday, Shedeur’s brother, Shilo, got on a call with him and asked whether Shedeur had really taken to wearing a thong. The Browns quarterback laughed, saying:
“Come on, bro. You forgot I have a back injury, right? So, I get my back taped. But that is crazy that it did look like that, that’s funny though.”
Dawg Shilo sanders really asked his brother Shedeur if he was wearing a thong during the game on Sunday 💀💀💀💀💀💀😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/LnyPHGwVoi
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) December 9, 2025
Nevertheless, despite the online distraction, Sanders’ performance against the Titans furthered his standing with the coaching staff. He completed 23 of 42 passes for 364 yards, three touchdowns with one interception, and added 29 rushing yards and a touchdown. His stat line made him only the second rookie since 1970 to record more than 350 passing yards, at least three passing touchdowns, and a rushing score in a single game.
“He has constantly and consistently gotten better in each one of these games and how he’s approached this game,” Kevin Stefanski said, via ESPN. “He’s been working very hard, so I feel good about where his development is heading. He knows there are always going to be plays that he can be better at and those types of things. But he’s very intentional about getting better each and every game he’s out there.”
And with hard matchups ahead against Chicago, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati, Sanders now holds an unexpected but invaluable opportunity to shape both his future and Cleveland’s. For his very first start, PFSN QB Impact metric gave him a score of 72.8.
