While Shedeur Sanders made a move this week that seemingly signals a trade from the Cleveland Browns could be coming soon, a top NFL insider has shut down the possibility before next month’s NFL trade deadline.
To the joy of Browns fans, the team enters their game on the Week 6 NFL schedule against rivals the Baltimore Ravens with a 3-2 record. For a fanbase used to losing, being over .500 at this point in the season and actually having hope to compete for a playoff spot is reason for celebration.
Yet, one player who may not be thrilled is Sanders. The youngster lost the QB battle this summer to Deshaun Watson, despite the objections of fans. And so far, the veteran QB has played well enough that he is not in danger of being benched. It means that, barring injury, Sanders won’t play in games again until next year.
That may be why he decided to hire an agent for the first time in his career this week. The move immediately created speculation that the quarterback turned to a professional negotiator to set up his exit from Cleveland so he can get an opportunity elsewhere before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
However, even if he did request a trade, The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones reported on Saturday, “After talking to multiple league and team sources, I’d be surprised if he dealt quarterback Shedeur Sanders before this year’s trade deadline.”
Why the Cleveland Browns should not trade Shedeur Sanders
On paper, it makes sense to trade Sanders. If he couldn’t beat out Watson, coming off two Achilles surgeries for the starting job this summer, he probably doesn’t have a serious future in Cleveland. Furthermore, if they got a strong offer from a QB-needy team, then they should make that trade.
However, it is hard to trust that Watson will remain healthy for the rest of the season when he has never done that during his five years with the Browns. Sooner or later he will probably miss games this season, and having a backup they can trust to hopefully keep them in the playoff hunt has value.
If the Browns begin to slip from the playoff picture before the deadline, maybe moving Sanders makes more sense. However, a case could also be made that it is more reason not to trade him, because he could just be promoted to the starting job to try and salvage their postseason hopes in the second half of the season.
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