The hype for Shedeur Sanders this offseason took an unexpected detour after a pair of speeding violations, but the 23-year-old signal-caller remains the most discussed rookie heading into training camp.
He, albeit theoretically, has a chance to ascend the Cleveland Browns’ depth chart and eventually become the club’s starting quarterback next season.
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Outside of drafting him, the franchise hasn’t exactly signaled that it has unwavering faith in the Colorado product. He’s yet to practice with the starting offense, and given Joe Flacco’s experience and Dillon Gabriel’s superior draft position, he will likely start the campaign as the QB4.
But could another team needing a spark roll the dice and try to make a move for Shedeur?
On a recent “Say What Needs to Be Said” livestream, former NFL All-Pro corner Asante Samuel Sr. analyzed the idea of sending Shedeur to Jacksonville to pair with his college teammate, Travis Hunter.
“Trevor Lawrence has two number one receivers—is he going to be able to get them the ball?” Samuel said. “I think not. Lawrence isn’t as good as he was as a college prospect.”
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Samuel went on to suggest that Shedeur going to Jacksonville would be impossible because no other organization would want to take on Lawrence’s contract.
The Jags’ gunslinger is under contract through 2030, with a cap hit north of over $70M in his last two years of the deal. He’s still young enough and has the ideal tools that some franchise would have interest in Lawrence, but not at that price.
Although seeing the Hunter-to-Shedeur connection at the pro level would be must-watch television, it’s not happening anytime soon.
Jacksonville is clearly committed to Lawrence for the next few years, and Shedeur should worry about trying to compete with Gabriel before attempting to replace a recent first overall pick.