Sitting on the bench for the Cleveland Browns was never going to last, but Shedeur Sanders just dropped the biggest signal yet that his time with the Browns might be reaching a breaking point.
Shedeur Sanders officially signed with agent Adie von Gontard of Young Money APAA Sports, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Gontard is the exact same representative managing Sanders’ former Colorado teammate Travis Hunter.
The timing is anything but accidental. Stuck behind Deshaun Watson in Cleveland with zero path to meaningful snaps, Sanders’ camp knows his value is rotting on the bench. Hiring von Gontard mid-season is the classic prelude to a trade push.
Shedeur Sanders Hires New Agent, Who is Also Travis Hunter’s Agent
The Browns backup QB basically handed out a clear message to the trade market and his own team: if they won’t play him, another team will.
“The only reason it would make sense to hire an agent now is if you need some representation heading into the trade deadline,” John Breech of CBS Sports writes about Sanders’ move on Wednesday. “If you have an agent, they can sniff around and see if you’re drawing any interest on the trade market, and if so, they could then try to convince your team that both sides would be better off if you moved on.”
And just when the trade rumors started gaining steam earlier this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars crashed the party, pouring gasoline on the fire. Behind Trevor Lawrence, the Jags have paper-thin QB depth. After cutting veteran backup Nick Mullens, the Jaguars rolled into the season with rookie Quinn Ewers as QB2.
While Ewers has potential as a developmental draft pick, he has zero active NFL snaps under his belt. If Lawrence takes a hit or misses even a couple of weeks, Jacksonville’s playoff or division hopes immediately fall on an unproven rookie.
Bringing in Sanders gives them that safety net.
Jaguars To Bank on Sanders-Hunter Reunion
Plus, Hunter is already handling a grueling two-way workload in Duval, regardless of how limited his offensive snap count looks on paper. That’s because Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. are Lawrence’s go-to targets. Because Hunter is tied up holding down the defense, he simply hasn’t built enough chemistry with Lawrence.
If Sanders were to take the signal-calling, Coen would be foolish to let their natural Colorado connection go to waste. They already have the chemistry from their Colorado days that takes years, or at least months, to develop.
Their Buffaloes connection will be the hottest hype headline, but more than that, the Jaguars might get Sanders at a bargain price.
From a deal structure standpoint, bringing Sanders over wouldn’t cost Jacksonville a fortune. Because Cleveland drafted him in the fifth round, a conditional late-round pick (a 2027 5th or 6th-rounder) would likely be enough to get Andrew Berry to open phones.
The Jags might be smart to start by offering up a 6th-round pick to just see how desperate the Browns are to get rid of Sanders.
For a Jaguars franchise looking for backup QB options and to build the hype around Hunter’s college connection, it’s a low-risk, high-reward gamble worth taking.
Shedeur Sanders’ Sudden Move With Travis Hunter Fuels Jaguars Trade Rumors