The Cleveland Browns and Shedeur Sanders haven’t exactly meshed well so far. However, this is essentially where Sanders wanted to be, as he could have ended up backing up Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. The Ravens were reportedly ready to draft him with one of their picks, but Sanders told them not to—and now, he’s catching heat for that decision.
“I think this is insane. ... At this point you're in the fifth round. I understand you had higher hopes, but you've dropped to the fifth round and you're thinking about being a starting quarterback the next year. I think this is incredibly shortsighted. ... You want to go to a good organization where you can develop and reach your potential,” Alex Smith said on Sunday NFL Countdown.
At one point, Sanders wasn’t even getting meaningful reps—just tossing passes to the team’s equipment staff.
“Shedeur Sanders apparently is throwing not to receivers but to equipment guys. They have got equipment guys snapping him the ball and then also running the routes. Mahomes is throwing to Kelce, Shedeur is throwing to equipment guys,” ESPN Cleveland’s Aaron Goldhammer said.
For a number of reasons, Sanders is now seen as a potential trade candidate—possibly in need of a fresh start. One proposed deal would send him to the Las Vegas Raiders.
“The Las Vegas Raiders backup QB situation is up in the air after Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured wrist. Oddly enough, the team was linked to Sanders early in the pre-draft process before they went in a very different direction with their QB situation. Sanders feels like a perfect fit for the silver-and-black. And would give them a potentially far better backup than they had a few weeks ago,” Sportsnaut’s Jason Burgos wrote.
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The Raiders aren’t a bad team—they just need to jump-start their offense. With Tom Brady as a minority owner, Sanders could potentially learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
A move to Las Vegas could benefit the rookie, and Brady’s influence might help unlock his potential. With Geno Smith nearing retirement, the Raiders situation might prove to be far better than what Sanders is currently facing in Cleveland.