Shedeur Sanders has his number retired with the Colorado Buffaloes college football program.
He actually was a star QB at the NCAA level for two programs — first for Jackson State before following his father Deion to Colorado.
Sanders, though, spends his NFL gamedays in 2026 on the sideline, at least so far.
Through three games, Sanders has yet to get onto the field for a snap for the Cleveland Browns.
It’s well known at this point that Sanders took a nosedive in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was projected by some to be a first-round pick, but in the end he went in the fifth round to Cleveland.
He wasn’t even the first QB drafted by the Browns in that draft. They took Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon in the third round.
It created an odd amount of drama from the beginning. The Browns had four QBs in camp in 2025, also including the veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.
Flacco and Pickett were eventually traded, but Gabriel was still ahead of Sanders on the depth chart, so the lefty started first. When Gabriel got hurt in the middle of the season against the Ravens, Sanders came in, and he retained the starting job.
Sanders didn’t put up great numbers or look overly impressive, but he did get NFL starting experience.
Despite that, in 2026, Sanders isn’t currently starting for the Browns.
Why Isn’t Shedeur Sanders Playing?
Shedeur Sanders isn’t playing for the Browns because he lost a preseason QB competition to Deshaun Watson.
The Browns brought in a new head coach this year in Todd Monken, who was previously offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
Monken made it clear that the two quarterbacks would compete to start. Watson hadn’t been available in 2025 as he recovered from a torn Achilles.
Despite the baggage that comes with Watson — off-field allegations, spotty play on the field, a brutal contract and an awful trade to get him to Cleveland in the first place — the Browns hadn’t moved on from him, and they gave him a fair shake at the gig.
Watson beat out Sanders, and so Sanders began the year as QB2.
Through three weeks, Watson also started to come into his own, and he actually had the Browns off to a 2-1 start. There was no way they were going to consider a quarterback change at this point.
Sanders likely will still start at some point this season, but his opportunity is currently lacking.
Did Shedeur Sanders Get Traded?
The one thing that didn’t happen with Sanders was a trade.
Because of the crowded QB situation from the moment he was drafted, and because of his headline-grabbing name, Shedeur has been involved in plenty of trade rumors since he entered the NFL.
Most of them likely had no reality to them, and none of them have come to fruition.
The Browns could consider trading a quarterback in the upcoming offseason if they decide they’re going to draft their next starting QB, but it wouldn’t make sense for them to trade Shedeur before then.
Why Isn’t Shedeur Sanders Playing Tonight? Colorado Legend Still With Browns After Trade Rumors