Shedeur Sanders has been in a battle with Deshaun Watson for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback job, but that competition may end sooner rather than later.
That’s because, according to ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo, the Browns are getting trade calls on Sanders.
The radio host also said he believes the Browns will not enter training camp with their quarterbacks room as is.
“There are talks, ongoing calls about the availability of Shedeur Sanders,” Rizzo said, before adding, “I’m going to say right now, for the record, I don’t think the four quarterbacks are going to camp on July 28.”
“Nothing is imminent, but the calls are being made,” Rizzo added.
Why Browns shouldn’t trade Shedeur
Trading Sanders would be a colossal screw-up by the Browns.
After all, he is the only semblance of hope for a long-term answer under center in Cleveland, yet the Browns seem intent on giving the abysmal Watson another look as the starter.
At the very least, Cleveland should hang on to Shedeur and let him take over once if Watson struggles, which is inevitable at this point.
We’ll see if anything actually comes to fruition in terms of a trade, but if Sanders does get dealt, we could see any one of these five teams acquiring him.
New York Jets
New York signed Geno Smith to be the bridge quarterback, but he was one of the worst signal-callers in the NFL in 2025 and he’s not a long-term solution at 35 years old.
The rest of the current depth chart includes Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook and 2026 fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik, who the jury is still out on.
With how awful the Jets have been at finding a franchise quarterback, they should be hedging their bet any chance they get, which is why they should go after Sanders.
Miami Dolphins
There is no telling how Malik Willis is going to pan out in his first year as the starter, and the only insurance policy Miami has is Quinn Ewers, who was OK but not great in Year 1.
That leaves Miami without a locked-in long-term starter, and that should have general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan exploring every option possible.
MORE: Miami Dolphins early results with Malik Willis not looking good
The Dolphins should bring Sanders in and have him compete with Ewers for the right to take over the starting job if Willis falters.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals figured to go into the 2026 season with Jacoby Brissett as their starter, but the veteran is holding out and now his future is uncertain.
General manager Monti Ossenfort is on the hot seat and cannot afford to turn the ball over to Gardner Minshew, and there’s no telling when Carson Beck will be ready.
Sanders is no sure thing, but he at least offers the upside Minshew doesn’t, and the starting experience Beck doesn’t have.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are set atop the depth chart for now with Daniel Jones, but we also know Jones has a checkered past with injuries and is hardly reliable.
If Jones goes down to an injury once again, the Colts will be depending on one of Anthony Richardson, who probably won’t even be with the team come Week 1, Riley Leonard, who only has one career start, or Easton Stick, who has four career starts.
MORE: Adonai Mitchell starting to make Colts look foolish
Sanders actually has more starts than Stick and Leonard combined. Safe to say, Shedeur could very well be an upgrade for Indy’s QB2 situation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs and Baker Mayfield are in a contract standoff, and while the veteran is not going to hold out, he will be a free agent in 2027 if nothing changes.
If Mayfield isn’t re-signed, the Bucs would be in the market for a new starting quarterback without any semblance of a potential long-term solution on the roster behind Mayfield.
MORE: Bucs playing foolish game with Baker Mayfield
Trading for Sanders would change that for Tampa Bay.
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