Todd Monken and Shedeur Sanders almost got to join forces with the Baltimore Ravens last season. Instead, they will do so this year with the Cleveland Browns.
As Sanders fell through the 2025 NFL Draft, the Ravens, with Monken as their offensive coordinator, reportedly considered selecting the quarterback. Instead, they, like every other team in the league, regularly passed on him until the Browns finally ended his slide in the fifth round.
Fast forward to now, with Monken having been hired as the head coach to replace Kevin Stefanski, and Sanders about to enter the offseason as Cleveland’s incumbent starting QB. It made for an interesting greeting between the two men who could commiserate about their respective journeys.
Upon seeing him in his new office, Monken sent a four-word message to Sanders, saying, “It all worked out.”
“We tried to draft your a** last year. It all worked out. Someday we’ll get a chance to talk about that,” Monken said.
it all worked out@Bullseye_Event | #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/5UC9kjyZnv
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 30, 2026
It was interesting that Monken’s first words to Sanders were about that noteworthy and controversial draft. Holding the No. 141 overall pick, the Ravens were reportedly ready to use it to select Sanders, but he made it known that he did not want to back up Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens drafted offensive lineman Carson Vinson, so Sanders was still there three picks later, where the Browns took him at No. 144 overall. Little could he have known the difficult situation he was about to enter instead.
Though he was taking part in a four-man preseason QB competition, Sanders’ vocal legion of fans felt he wasn’t being given a fair shot by Stefanski. That went on throughout the season, until Dillon Gabriel entered concussion protocol and the coach had no choice but to put Sanders into a game.
The rookie played well enough to keep the starting job for the rest of the season and even helped the Browns earn three of their five total victories. Now, with Deshaun Watson’s potential return to active status looming, Sanders’ future is in doubt.
However, judging by Monken’s initial reaction to Sanders as Cleveland’s head coach, it seems like he’ll at least get a chance to prove himself to the Browns’ new regime.
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