Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been pulled into trade chatter this offseason, and one potential landing spot would come with a familiar face waiting for him.
A trade proposal sending Sanders to the Jacksonville Jaguars went viral on social media, drawing thousands of likes and plenty of reactions. The idea would put Sanders behind Trevor Lawrence while reuniting him with Travis Hunter, his former Colorado teammate and close friend.
Jacksonville currently has Nick Mullens, Carter Bradley and Joey Aguilar behind Lawrence. Sanders would bring more upside than that group, though the idea of moving him strictly as a backup did not sit well with everyone.
“Yall tryna force him to be a backup when he played better than half the QBs drafted,” one fan said.
“Upgrade and Sheduer in the same sentence is wrong,” another added.
“My dawg aint a back up,” another said.
Any trade rumor around Sanders is going to bring a strong reaction, especially if the destination has him sitting behind another quarterback. For Jacksonville, the appeal is easy enough to understand. Lawrence is the guy, but the Jaguars do not have a clear long-term backup option. Sanders would give them a young quarterback with starting experience, a cheap contract and a built-in relationship with Hunter — one of their most important building blocks.
Jaguars Have Recent Trade History With Browns
A Browns-Jaguars trade would not exactly come out of nowhere, considering the two teams have already done significant business. Jacksonville made one of the biggest moves of the 2025 NFL Draft, trading up with Cleveland to land the No. 2 overall pick. The Jaguars used that selection on Hunter. The Browns moved back to No. 5 and selected defensive tackle Mason Graham while also adding a future first-round pick.
The teams also connected during the season, swapping cornerbacks in a deal that sent Greg Newsome II to Jacksonville and Tyson Campbell to Cleveland. The Browns also sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Jaguars and got back a 2026 seventh-rounder.
The Sanders rumors started with ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo, who said teams have been calling about the Browns second-year quarterback.
“There are talks, ongoing calls, about the availability of Shedeur Sanders,” Rizzo said. “The Browns, for whatever reason, don’t think he’s the guy. That’s my opinion. I’m sure they’ll say, ‘What are you talking about. He’s in a quarterback battle.’ I’m going to say right now for the record, I don’t think the four quarterbacks are going to camp on July 28. I don’t. Nothing is imminent, but the calls are being made. I think it’s in the best interest of both parties here.”
Browns Unlikely to Move Sanders Before QB Battle Plays Out
The biggest reason a Sanders trade remains unlikely is simply that the Browns still need to find out what they have. Sanders is battling Deshaun Watson for the starting job. Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green are also in the room, but the main competition has centered on Watson and Sanders heading into training camp.
Sanders’ rollercoaster rookie season was uneven. After getting his shot, Sanders went 3-4 as a starter and completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. There were growing pains, but also enough flashes to keep the Browns invested in seeing what Year 2 looks like.
The Browns have seen Sanders make strides this offseason with his progressions, getting the ball out and understanding the new-look offense.
“I think he’s being more decisive,” Browns coach Todd Monken said. “Now, it’s easy to say we’re not in pads. It just feels like he’s making quicker decisions, the ball is coming out of hands, which he’s gonna have to do. Not because of playmaking ability, which he does. His ability to process quicker and get the ball out of his hands, and eliminate lost-yards plays, it’s gonna be huge for us to be able to stack plays and score, which is ultimately the number one thing to do.”
Watson is coming off two Achilles surgeries and has not looked like his old Pro Bowl form since arriving in Cleveland in 2022. Sanders is young, cheap and still has upside. Even if he doesn’t win the starting job for Week 1, the Browns may be better off keeping him as insurance rather than sending him elsewhere.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Linked to AFC Contender in New Trade Proposal