Earning a Pro Bowl selection in the rookie year is not very common. Now, Cleveland Browns’ rookie QB Shedeur Sanders joins the elite list with the likes of Dak Prescott, Robert Griffin III, and others. Following his surprise selection, the 23-year-old recently shared his thoughts before heading to San Francisco.

Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is set to join the AFC Pro Bowl roster as a replacement for Drake Maye. Cleveland’s Mary May Cabot took to X to share Sanders’ first thoughts about earning a spot in the AFC Pro Bowl.

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“Thank you, God. I’m beyond excited, ” said Sanders. “Extremely grateful for all the love and support from the coaches, players, and fans. This wouldn’t be possible without the support behind me. Still plenty of work to do.”

Originally, Sanders wasn’t voted for the Pro Bowl team. The AFC roster had three quarterbacks in Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, and Drake Maye. But since the Patriots reached the Super Bowl, their QB, Drake Maye, couldn’t be part of the Pro Bowl team. Adding to this, Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix are sidelined due to injuries. Thus, Sanders was selected as a last-minute replacement.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback’s selection sparked debate among fans, with many believing he didn’t have a Pro Bowl-worthy season and that the selection was driven more by popularity than by his on-field performance.

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He is the son of a two-time Super Bowl winner and a Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders. As a result, there was a lot of buzz around him even before signing an NFL contract. The Browns picked him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft 2025, and he put up respectable numbers in the rookie season, but the Browns finished at the bottom of the AFC North.

The quarterback played 8 games this season, out of which he was a starter for 7 games. He recorded 1400 passing yards with 7 touchdowns. However, his interceptions (10) were more than his touchdowns. With a 56.6% passing completion rate, he wasn’t in the same tier as the league’s top passers. In his seven starts, the Browns secured a 3-4 record, which is better than the franchise’s overall 5-12 record in the 2025 season.

While Sanders replaced Maye, their numbers had a drastic difference this season. The second-year Patriots quarterback recorded only 8 interceptions in the regular season, playing more than double the number of games (17) than the rookie. Additionally, he registered three times more passing yards (4394) and four times more touchdowns (31), casting doubt on Sanders’ eligibility as a replacement.

Similarly, Maye didn’t have big numbers in 2024, which was his rookie season, but he also made it to the Pro Bowl team last year.

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Shedeur Sanders & Co. are yet to find Kevin Stefanski’s replacement

With this selection, Sanders becomes the 16th quarterback to get the honor in the very first season. A feat that NFL legends like Tom Brady were unable to achieve.

As Sanders celebrates this major career-milestone, he is still in the dark about the Cleveland Browns‘ next coach. Followed by an abysmal season, the franchise fired Kevin Stefanski after a six-year tenure and is currently without a coach. They are reportedly in the final stages of the coaching hunt, with Nate Scheelhaase, Todd Monken, and Jim Schwartz emerging as the favored choices.

As a classic pocket passer, Sanders’ success hinges on protection and scheme. The Browns’ next head coach must prioritize building an offensive line that allows him to survey the field and design a system that leverages his accuracy on short-to-intermediate routes.

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Now, having a Pro Bowl selection under his name, Sanders is likely to be the starting QB next season. The Pro Bowl game is next Tuesday, February 3rd, at 8:00 PM ET. Can Sanders lead his team to victory?

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