The NFL is ending a 75-year-old tradition, and Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is getting blamed for it — at least in part. On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones reported that the NFL is ending the Pro Bowl game, an event they’ve held in some form since 1951, due to the watered-down nature of what it’s become.
While the “Pro Bowl” honor will still exist, given to 88 players each year, the game itself will no longer be played (no flag football variant or skills challenges, either). In part, this decision was made to remove alternates, such as Sanders last season.
In fact, alternates like Sanders were cited specifically as a reason for the Pro Bowl game coming to an end.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Highlights the Problem With Pro Bowl Alternates
GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns during the AFC Pro Bowl practice at Moscone Center South on February 02, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
“The alternate thing didn’t sit well with the guys, especially those that we would consider perennial Pro Bowlers,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent Sr. said. “And in their mind, ‘I want to be considered the world’s best.’ And when you start getting into the fourth and fifth and sixth alternates, it waters down the entire team.”
Despite starting just seven games for the Browns and posting a statline of 1,400 passing yards and seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions, completing just 56.6-percent of his passes and getting sacked 23 times, Sanders ended up being named an alternate Pro Bowler for the AFC team. Was he truly one of the league’s best players last season, contributing in part to Cleveland’s dismal season?
The NFL Explains the Decision to End the Pro Bowl After 75 Years
GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 04: Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns looks on prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“All-Star games, I think, for all leagues have been fraught for a long time, and they haven’t necessarily represented the very best premium of that sport for those players,” Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, international and league events, told Jones. “I think all leagues have struggled with that. We made the switch four years ago from the ‘tackle’ Pro Bowl to the flag game, and that was more strategic for us. In many ways, we saw a decrease in the replacement players.”
“But ultimately, the Pro Bowl, at its core, is about honoring the best of the best in that season, on the field, in real games,” O’Reilly continued. “And the shift here is about shifting the focus from the game — which is ultimately where people’s attention goes, especially the replacement players tied to it — to the honor.”
Is Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders to Blame for This Decision to End the Pro Bowl?
GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 22: Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field on August 22, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Of course not. Fans across social media may joke about it, and Jones even cited Sanders specifically in his article as a player who didn’t deserve the recognition. But it’s not Sanders’ fault other honorees dropped out of the event and he has a massive fanbase — not to mention all the Browns fans voting for him too.
Rather, Sanders drew a lot of public attention to the Pro Bowl, how it didn’t engage with fans or players anymore, and that it had lost a lot of the luster it previously had.
“You always consider that, but I think when you boil it down, we kept coming back to: Is that the best representation of our sport, of these players?” O’Reilly said. “What’s the Pro Bowl about? It’s about recognizing the best of the best. No replacements. Eighty-eight.”
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Blamed For Ending 75-Year-Old NFL Tradition