Skip Bayless wants the Cleveland Browns to trade Shedeur Sanders immediately after the second-year quarterback lost the starting job to Deshaun Watson.
Wearing a Sanders jersey, Bayless delivered a wandering 20-minute solo rant about Cleveland’s decision and called for the Browns to send Sanders elsewhere.
“This sorry [expletive] franchise does not deserve to have Shedeur Sanders on its roster anymore,” Bayless said on social media. “I wish there were some way that Jimmy Haslam and Todd Monken would decide as we near the season to get rid of Shedeur and set him free. Trade him elsewhere.”
Bayless already has a destination in mind.
“I’d love to see Shedeur in Atlanta,” Bayless said. “Do I think Shedeur Sanders could win more football games than Penix or Tua? You better believe I do. Shedeur Sanders is better than either quarterback the Falcons have right now that they’re trying to decide between. Can you imagine Shedeur Sanders in Atlanta? How that city would go crazy for this guy wearing their jersey.”
The Atlanta suggestion comes with an obvious complication Bayless did not address: Kevin Stefanski is the Falcons’ head coach.
Stefanski coached Sanders during his rookie season in Cleveland, and the two appeared to maintain a solid relationship. After being fired by the Browns, Stefanski said he “loved” coaching Sanders and praised his makeup and late-season improvement.
However, Stefanski also faced relentless criticism over nearly every aspect of his handling of Sanders, including his practice reps, preseason opportunities and place on the depth chart. It’s unlikely a situation Stefanski wants to repeat.
Skip Bayless Claims Browns QB Competition Was Rigged
GettySkip Bayless says the Cleveland Browns quarterback battle was rigged.
Monken has maintained that the Browns played out a fair quarterback competition, splitting the first-team reps between the two. Bayless believes Sanders never had a legitimate opportunity to beat out Watson.
“It was rigged,” Bayless said. “Why was it rigged? Because Todd Monken is part of the good-ol-boy network that did not like Shedeur Sanders. Book it — he was part of it.”
Bayless offered no evidence that Monken or the Browns predetermined the outcome. Monken announced the official decision on their starter on Monday.
“Deshaun is going to start against Jacksonville,” Monken said. “Took in the full body of work over the course of offseason, to training camp, to the games, the joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points.”
Monken also made it clear that Watson’s appointment is not a week-to-week decision.
Shedeur Sanders Still Likely to Get Opportunity
GettyShedeur Sanders will open the season as the backup with the Cleveland Browns.
The reality is that Sanders has a strong chance to see the field at some point this season. Watson has appeared in just 19 games since the Browns acquired him in 2022. He missed the entire 2025 season and nearly two years overall after tearing his Achilles in and suffering a setback during his recovery.
Watson is healthy enough to open the season as Cleveland’s starter. However, his recent injury history makes Sanders’ presence especially important, even if the Browns do not plan to make an early change based solely on performance.
Monken said Sanders took the decision in stride and showed that he understands the larger opportunity in front of him.
“He was awesome. I mean, you talk about somebody that really understands the long game. That really, I think, has come to understand the long game,” Monken said. “What are we really in this for? What am I in it for? To have the Browns be an organization that people aspire to be, right? The long game, right? Where do we want to be in the long term? He understands that as well as a quarterback.”
The Browns open the season on September 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Browns Told to Trade Shedeur Sanders After ‘Rigged’ QB Battle