Shedeur Sanders has been selected to play in the Pro Bowl.
ESPN reported Monday that the Cleveland Browns quarterback will join the AFC roster as a replacement for New England’s Drake Maye, who will skip the game after helping the Patriots reach Super Bowl LX. Sanders is the Browns’ first quarterback to earn a Pro Bowl nod since 2008 and the first rookie taken in the fifth round to make the team since Rams wideout Puka Nacua in 2023.
Sanders began the season as Cleveland’s third-string QB but took over as the starter in Week 11 after Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. In eight games (seven starts) he went 3-4 as a starter, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and added 169 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. While his numbers aren’t eye-popping, he flashed playmaking ability — including a 66-yard touchdown pass in his first start during the Browns’ Week 12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, which at the time was the team’s longest scoring play of the season.
Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, was a surprise fall in the 2025 NFL Draft after many projected him as a potential first-round pick. He ultimately became the sixth quarterback off the board; Gabriel, an Oregon product, was among the five players selected before him and was taken by the Browns in the third round.
The 2026 Pro Bowl will once again be played as non-contact flag football for the fourth consecutive year, and for the first time the event will be part of Super Bowl activities. The game is scheduled for San Francisco’s Moscone Center, the host site for this year’s Super Bowl Experience. Former 49ers great Jerry Rice will coach the AFC squad, while fellow Hall of Famer Steve Young will lead the NFC team.
Fan Take: Sanders’ Pro Bowl selection highlights how quickly a young quarterback can make an impact, even with modest stats, and gives Browns supporters a promising glimpse into the franchise’s future. For the league, his inclusion — and the continued prominence of flag-football Pro Bowls tied to Super Bowl week — shows the NFL’s interest in evolving the all-star format and showcasing rising stars in new ways.
