Shedeur Sanders is entering this offseason as one of 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. He finished the 2025 season in that role for the Cleveland Browns, and he will have to do everything he can to keep it going forward.
Sanders made seven starts at the end of his rookie season, and though he showed improvement in some critical areas, the overall body of work was lacking. So, the Browns are thought to be looking for an upgrade at the position, either internally with Deshaun Watson or from outside the organization.
That is why Sanders has landed on a notable NFL “hot seat” list, with Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports saying the QB “has hardly established himself” so far.
“Sanders ended the 2025 season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback, but he has hardly established himself as the set-and-forget figure under center for the organization. Despite the fanfare, the Colorado quarterback wasn’t particularly impressive when given his opportunity. In most categories, he was either at or near the bottom of the league after making his NFL debut,” Sullivan wrote.
Sanders took over for Dillon Gabriel during a Week 11 game and started the rest of Cleveland’s schedule. He completed 56.6 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, but he did have some individual games that were better than those overall stats would suggest.
He is one of five QBs on the list who could face an uncertain future. Interestingly, one of them is Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud, who has been linked to the Browns in trade rumors.
Another, Michael Penix Jr. of the Atlanta Falcons, has also been mentioned as a possible trade target for Cleveland. That’s if new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski wants a reunion with Dillon Gabriel.
The others are Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers and J. J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings. It should be noted that all of them, other than Sanders, were first-round picks in the NFL Draft, with Young at No. 1 overall in 2023 and Stroud at No. 2 that year.
Sanders was a well-documented fifth-round pick in 2025, so his inclusion on this list could optimistically be seen as a good sign of what he was able to accomplish. However, new Browns head coach Todd Monken did not commit to him when given a chance to at his introductory press conference.
As one of the more popular names in the NFL, Sanders will always draw a lot of attention as he tries to establish himself in the league.
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