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Hall of Famer shared unique reason for Shedeur Sanders to be named to Pro Bowl.
Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin has a hunch why Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl.
Sanders was named as a replacement due to other injuries and Drake Maye being in the Super Bowl. It was a surprise that Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl, but Irvin believes it was for the attention he’d bring and so the NFL could profit off it.
“Are they putting him up there because they want to profit off him,” Irvin said on his YouTube Channel. “Nobody cared about the Pro Bowl. Now everybody cares, everybody’s talking about the Pro Bowl. Nobody was talking about the Pro Bowl, but now everybody’s talking about the Pro Bowl. All of that may have something to do with it.”
It’s an intriguing take from Irvin, as the interest in the Pro Bowl over the last few years has faded, so Irvin believes Sanders being added was a way to bring more attention to the game.
Sanders only started seven games this season, as he threw for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Deion Sanders Reacts to Shedeur Sanders Making Pro Bowl
Although Sanders was just a replacement, he is considered a Pro Bowler.
It’s a high honor for the fifth-round pick, and his father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, had plenty of praise for him.
Sanders said being named to the Pro Bowl in your rookie season is hard to do, so he’s impressed with his son.
“My son did something that I didn’t do,” said Sanders on the We Got Time Today podcast. “He made the Pro Bowl in his first year. I made him in my third year. But most people don’t know that the major percentage is from the coaches and the players, their selection. Then the fans get a smaller percentage of votes. It’s not just the fan thing.”
Although Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl, his future with the Browns is up in the air. Cleveland is expected to pursue quarterback help this offseason to try to find their franchise guy.
Browns Wouldn’t Commit to Sanders
Sanders ended the year as Cleveland’s starting quarterback and showed flashes of being a future starter.
However, after the season ended, Browns general manager Andrew Berry wouldn’t commit to Sanders as the starting quarterback going forward.
“You know, I think we saw a lot of progress with Shedeur this year,” Berry said. “I think that’s both mentally, physically, playing the position. He’s still very much a work in progress like many rookie quarterbacks are. But I think we saw some really good things in terms of his playmaking, his accuracy, his ability to extend them with his feet. And I think I’d also give him credit as well as our offensive staff for bringing him along in terms of his pocket management, his situational awareness and things of that nature.
“Now that all being said, we’re going to do our work on the quarterback market. It’s too important of a position and it’s something that has to be solidified. I can’t sit here and tell you today, you know, whether the solution for or the starter in 2026 is internal or external. But it’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks. And quite honestly, the new head coach will also have a lot of input into that as well.”
The Browns enter the offseason with Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel under contract.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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