Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has officially arrived for his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Sanders was named a replacement for the Pro Bowl earlier in the week, taking the place of Super Bowl New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The NFL announced his arrivial in San Francisco for the Pro Bowl with a post on social media.
“Shedeur Sanders ready to put on a show,” the NFL captioned the post.
Sanders will join Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco on the AFC roster. The Pro Bowl website only has Flacco and Sanders listed as the quarterbacks for the AFC. The original three quarterbacks named for the Pro Bowl from the AFC were Maye, Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen and Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert. Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott and Jared Goff will represent the NFC.
Shedeur Sanders’ Pro Bowl Selection Draws Scrutiny
The Pro Bowl Games are the NFL’s annual “all-star” showcase, featuring top players from the AFC and NFC in skills competitions capped by a flag football game. Players are chosen through a combination of fan voting, player voting and coach voting, with the results used to determine the Pro Bowl rosters for each conference.
The selection process is designed to reflect both public popularity and peer evaluation. Replacement players — like Sanders and Flacco — are selected as needed if original selections withdraw due to injury, Super Bowl participation or other reasons. The inclusion of Sanders hasn’t said well with some.
“Pro Bowl ratings suck. The plan? Add Shedeur Sanders no matter how ridiculous it might seem,” one fan said.
Others are excited to see the Browns’ QB in action.
“Shedeur always brings the spotlight,” one fan said. “This should be fun to watch.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Acknowledges ‘Work to Do’
Sanders didn’t put up a rookie year that warranted Pro Bowl consideration. He passed for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sanders is excited to be involved in the Pro Bowl but also acknowledged that he’s not where he wants to be yet.
“Thank you God. I’m beyond excited and extremely grateful for all the love and support from the coaches, players, and fans,” Sanders said in a statement. “This wouldn’t be possible without the support behind me. Still plenty of work to do.”
The Browns finished last season 5-12. Sanders went 5-12 in his starts. The team did not committed to Sanders as their starter moving forward as they navigate an offseason of uncertainty.
“I think we saw a lot of progress with Shedeur this year. I think that’s both mentally, physically, playing the position. He’s still very much a work in progress like many rookie quarterbacks are,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said. “Now that all being said, we’re going to do our work on the quarterback market. It’s too important of a position and it’s something that has to be solidified. I can’t sit here and tell you today, you know, whether the solution for or the starter in 2026 is internal or external. But it’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks. And quite honestly, the new head coach will also have a lot of input into that as well.”
As it stands, the Browns will also have Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel under contract for next season.
