Shedeur Sanders’ future with the Cleveland Browns is the subject of speculation as Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline approaches, with the rookie still yet to play in a regular-season game.
Despite the Browns trading away Joe Flacco, Sanders is stuck behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel on the depth chart. Browns legend Joshua Cribbs, this week, heightened rumors around Sanders by revealing what he believes to be the asking price for Sanders.
A six-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion has intensified talk of a potential early split between Sanders and the Browns.
Will Shedeur Sanders Play For The Cleveland Browns in 2025?
Addressing Sanders’ lack of playing time for Cleveland since the Browns ended his stunning draft-day slide, LeSean McCoy predicted the former Colorado star would not play this season.
He said on “Speakeasy”: “I don’t think we’ll see Shedeur at all this year. He [Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski] don’t like him. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a situation where you try to tell a girl ‘I just don’t like you, I’m not into you’ without being mean. That’s what he does.
“You watch his press conferences. He don’t say nothing bad about Shedeur, he don’t say nothing really good about him. He don’t say nothing promising, encouraging, so, when you ask me this question, I don’t think we’ll see Shedeur. Not because he can’t play, it’s just the coach don’t like him,” he added.
“My thing is when I watch the other rookie play, Dillon Gabriel, he’s ok, he’s alright. But it ain’t nothing to be like ‘man we’re locked into him’. Let’s find out what you got. You ain’t going to the playoffs, you look bad on offense. Not a good team. Why not see what Shedeur is? Everybody’s talking about this kid. Let’s find out how good he really is.”
Several teams have been mentioned as potential trade destinations for Sanders, including the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and the Arizona Cardinals.
However, none of those situations is likely to aid his development as a quarterback. With the Browns last in the NFL in PFSN’s Offensive Impact metrics, the best outcome for Sanders’ long-term prospects may be for him to sit out his rookie campaign. A redshirt year might not seem appealing, but Sanders could be better served competing to start for an improved Cleveland offense next year or seeing if a new opportunity arises in the offseason.