Sometimes the phrase “Pro Bowler” means nothing at all. Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the 2025 NFL Draft’s main character, was named to the Pro Bowl on Monday.
Sanders was the draft’s lead talking point due to the fact that he had a strong first round projection, but slid all the way down to the fifth round. His statistical production this season was maybe more in line with what one might expect from an undrafted free agent.
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It took awhile for Sanders to get on the field this season, but when he finally did, it was not impressive. He completed 56% of his passes for 1,400 yards, 7 TDs, and 10 INTs. Out of the 42 NFL QBs who qualified for QBR, Sanders ranked 40th, with 18.9. And his passer rating was even worse, as his 68.1 mark ranked 41st in the league. This is laughably bad.
The numbers and metrics are about as cut-and-dried as it gets. The NFL can no longer tell us that the Pro Bowl is an All-Star game. If the league is just doing this for the ratings, then okay, sure, we get it.
Pro Bowl ratings have been declining for a long time, and that’s led to the NFL continuously tinkering with the format. Whenever you get multiple format switches, it’s done as a desperate attempt to try and generate more interest. It obviously hasn’t worked, so it appears that the latest ploy is to now include a polarizing figure in the game, regardless of his actual on-field performance.
Shedeur doesn’t statistically produce, or win games, but he does get people talking. And the league is hoping that all this additional talk will translate into added viewership.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Shedeur Sanders is a Pro Bowler because he’s a brand name