There were plenty of eyebrows raised when not one but two 2025 Cleveland Browns quarterbacks were picked to represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl games this week. One was the starter who began the season under center for the Browns, Joe Flacco before he was traded to the Bengals, and the other was the quarterback who finished it, rookie Shedeur Sanders.
Both were objectively bad quarterbacks in 2025. On the Pro Football Focus grading system, Flacco was No. 28 out of 38 quarterbacks who received grades. And Sanders was No. 38. He threw for 1,400 yards in seven starts and one relief appearance, with a 56.6% completion rate and seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Despite playing less than half the season, Sanders was tied for 11th in INTs.
For former All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu, the idea of Sanders earning a spot on the Pro Bowl team warranted one question. Speaking on his, “In the Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu” podcast, Mathieu responded by asking, “In what world?”
Shedeur Sanders Was Rewarded for ‘Mediocrity’
It’s a fair question even for Browns fans who hope to see Sanders come back for his sophomore season and potentially lead the team in 2026. Perhaps Sanders should have gotten on the field more, perhaps the failure of coach Kevin Stefanski to do so is one reason why he is no longer the coach in Cleveland. While Sanders showed some promise, the numbers and the results were just not there in his first season.
Said Mathieu: “Oh my goodness, that’s what I don’t like, bro. Like, we cannot reward mediocrity. We cannot reward it, I’m sorry. Like, if you got more interceptions than touchdowns, bro, there’s no way you should be rewarded. That’s crazy. That’s true?
“That’s nuts. It’s wild. That’s nuts.”
Mathieu played 12 years in the NFL and retired after last season.
Browns QB ‘Surprised’ by Selection
Now, in fairness to Sanders, it was not him or the Browns who made the decision to make the Pro Bowl team, and the fact is, the event has become enough of a joke that quarterbacks repeatedly pass over their own selection and force the league to run down the list of available starters.
Jets quarterback Justin Fields, for example, lost his starting job during the year and was 2-7 as a starter but still was invited to be a Pro Bowler. He declined.
And Sanders seemed caught off guard by the selection.
“Yes, I was surprised,” Sanders said, via NFL.com. “It wasn’t like I was just sitting there expecting it. … I just didn’t have too much thought in it.
“I’m not going to lie, a lot of the time I’m taking it day by day. … If you would tell me that this was going to happen at the beginning of the year, I couldn’t say that that would’ve happened.”
And while Flacco’s inclusion was also something of a surprise, Sanders was happy to see him again after having learned from Flacco’s experience through training camp and early in his career.
“I already gained it,” Sanders said of Flacco’s experience. “Talking to a lot of great players, seeing Joe Flacco again with the same sweatpants he wore in practice, everything. Just meeting people; it’s a great environment. I’m excited to be here. I’m thankful for it.”
Ex-All-Pro Blasts Browns Shedeur Sanders Postseason Honor