Shedeur Sanders’ ears undoubtedly perked up when he heard that Marvin Harrison Jr. got traded. Like the Cleveland Browns quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver did not have an agent, but once he got one, he was dealt just a few weeks later.
Stuck behind Browns starter Deshaun Watson, Sanders may want the same thing for himself. This week, it was announced that Sanders had hired an agent after not having one so far in his NFL career.
Analyst Tony Rizzo said he believes Sanders’ latest move means one thing, and that is he’s looking for a trade away from the Browns before this year’s NFL deadline.
“Shedeur got an agent. Shedeur can’t redo his contract until after 2027, so he doesn’t need an agent unless he wants to get traded. I think the kid wants to play. I think he and his father, his family, are tired of watching. This is a big year for him. It’s his second year in the league. You don’t want to sit the whole year,'” Rizzo said.
"I think the kid wants to play," – Rizz on Shedeur hiring an agent and what it means towards a potential trade. pic.twitter.com/fHZQJRusGv
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 16, 2026
Interestingly, both Sanders and Harrison have fathers who played in the NFL, so they may be getting advice not readily available to other players. Harrison, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft, hired his first agent in September and was traded to the Houston Texans this week.
Sanders signed with Adie von Gontard of Young Money APAA Sports, which is the agency that represents his former University of Colorado teammate Travis Hunter. In this scenario, an agent’s role would be to explore possible trade possibilities and then present them to the player’s team, rather than the team or the player doing so themselves.
This has become a talking point because Watson has lasted longer as the Browns’ starting quarterback than anyone other than head coach Todd Monken expected. Sanders has already lost almost half of his second NFL season, with no avenue to playing time in sight, other than an injury to Watson.
“You notice he probably didn’t think Watson would make it to Week 6, and now he’s, ‘All right, we gotta do something,'” Rizzo said.
Even then, the Browns may opt for Dillon Gabriel instead, now that he is back practicing after a season-opening stint on injured reserve. Cleveland has to make a decision on Gabriel’s roster status within 21 days, so that may be playing into this situation as well.
It is becoming increasingly unlikely that Sanders will be back with the Browns next season, so perhaps both sides will want to get a jump on his departure and act before the trade deadline that arrives after the games of Week 9.
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