The timing of Shedeur Sanders’ first start at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns this season should not be overlooked. Because of an injury to Deshaun Watson, it came in the final game before the NFL trade deadline, a coincidence that can’t be ignored.
Sanders’ uneven performance in a 23-22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday will generate a lot of discussion before that deadline arrives Tuesday afternoon. While a deal may be highly unlikely, it won’t be off the table until the cutoff officially passes.
With that in mind, media pundit Skip Bayless said he has one team he’d love to see Sanders on, naming the Minnesota Vikings as an ideal landing spot.
“The pressure was severe today on Shedeur Sanders, and did he ever live up to it? I assume Deshaun Watson will get his job back as he comes out of concussion protocol going into next week, even though Shedeur outplayed him in the preseason, and even though Shedeur showed you once again today he’s just better than Deshaun Watson. This kid is clutch, tough. The later it got, the closer it got, the better he got. I’m just hoping that that was enough on tape that somebody will trade for him. I still don’t love his chances in Cleveland. Man, I’d love to see him with the Vikings for the rest of the year. I’m a Kyler [Murray] fan, but if Kyler can’t stay healthy, I’d take Shedeur Sanders over Carson Wentz any day or night. Way to go, Shedeur,” Bayless said.
SHEDEUR: Clutch tough. Interested, Vikings? pic.twitter.com/YNlXLkNPws
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 8, 2026
What makes this even more interesting is that Minnesota plays on Monday night, when it hosts the Buffalo Bills. Wentz will start in place of Murray, who is out with a hamstring injury, but if Wentz were to get injured in this game, the currently undefeated Vikings will almost certainly be in the market for a new QB.
That might be the case regardless, as Murray has failed to impress in his first season with Minnesota. The Vikings also have an opening for a developmental quarterback after trading J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants a couple of weeks ago.
Whether Sanders enhanced his trade value with one half of good football remains to be seen. It is also worth wondering if he showed enough to the Browns for them to consider giving him more opportunities, even with Watson able to return.
Adding to this situation is the fact that Cleveland is carrying four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, including Dillon Gabriel, who was the backup against New Orleans, and rookie project Taylen Green. There is a chance Gabriel could be a trade option as well, if the Browns want to ease the roster logjam.
Sanders overcame a lackluster first half to put his team in position for an overtime win, which fell short on a failed two-point conversion, so he arguably has earned more playing time, either with the Browns or for someone else.
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