Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders hasn’t seen the field this season, and with the way things are going, that won’t be changing anytime soon. Many had anticipated he’d win the starting quarterback job heading into this season, but Deshaun Watson swiped his old job back and has done a solid job through five games.
The change in Sanders’ career trajectory has created a bit of a cloud over his future in the NFL. It’s unclear if that is what led him to his big decision on Wednesday, but Sanders made a strong move this week as he aims to get more prepared for his future in the NFL.
Sanders hired an agent for the first time on Wednesday, linking up with Adie von Gontard of APAA Sports, who also represents his former teammate at Colorado, Travis Hunter. The move has many people asking questions about the timing of the decision, and Emmett Golden of The Next Level on ESPN Cleveland wondered if that means he foresees a trade coming soon.
“Why would a guy need an agent all of a sudden? Either Shedeur went to the Browns and said I would prefer a trade…or the Browns sat Shedeur down and said, ‘Hey listen, we’re going to activate Dillon (Gabriel) in a couple of weeks and we’re going to release you unless we find a trade partner,'” Golden said.
"Why would a guy need an agent all of the sudden?," – @egoldie80 and @JRCherry3 on the timing of Shedeur hiring an agent.
Do you think that a Shedeur trade is in the works? https://t.co/nQDi0IGtl3 pic.twitter.com/ZjgrrHcrGt
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 14, 2026
Gabriel’s impending return does muddy the waters in this quarterback room and the most likely outcome is either Gabriel or Sanders winds up elsewhere. Watson has this team winning games and rookie Taylen Green isn’t going anywhere since he is merely a long-term developmental project.
That leaves either Gabriel or Sanders as a likely trade deadline casualty. With quarterbacks going down left and right around the league and neither of these guys being the obvious long-term answer for the Browns, surely GM Andrew Berry will poke around and see if he can find a deal that makes sense for one of his young QBs.
It’s hard to believe that Sanders made this decision at this time for no reason. Something smells fishy, and all signs point to a potential trade.
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