It hasn’t been a rosy start for Shedeur Sanders in the NFL.
After the Browns took him in the fifth round at No. 144 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to end his stunning nosedive, Sanders is looking at an uphill battle toward success, according to Robert Griffin III.
The former NFL Rookie of the Year and Heisman winner explained why the Browns’ QB situation is “set up for dysfunction.”
“They have $230 million that won’t play,” Griffin explained on his X account, referring to Deshaun Watson’s bloated contract that will handicap the team for the next two seasons.
“Brought in 4 QBs this offseason and the last one they brought in, Shedeur Sanders, is the #1 selling jersey of all rookies despite being drafted in the 5th round after their 3rd round pick Dillon Gabriel.”
Sanders has been a lightning rod for attention since he first arrived at Colorado, and that has carried over to the NFL as fans have come out in droves to support him by buying his No. 12 jersey.
Alongside Sanders, the Browns’ quarterback room consists of former Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco, injured starter Deshaun Watson, who could potentially miss the entire season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel.
“Shedeur Sanders is in a situation where the NFL and the Cleveland Browns have set him up to sink or swim in year one. What I really mean by that is, they set him up to fail,” said Griffin, the ex-ESPN analyst who is joining Fox Sports as a college game analyst.
While the Browns drafted Gabriel before Sanders, Griffin believes that does not mean much.
“Shedeur is the headliner of the group,” Griffin continued. “He sells tickets. He sells Jerseys. He sells confidence to his teammates who have said they can’t wait to play with him and non-teammates.”
Players around the league have been coming to the defense of Sanders, who was also the subject of multiple rants from draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during ESPN’s broadcast of the draft.
“The Cleveland Browns headliner is their 4th QB on the roster who will get the least amount of reps and opportunity in the group,” Griffin continued.
Sanders, who was once a projected top-three draft pick, was a second team All-American last season in Colorado and his slide in the draft was a shocker that still hasn’t been fully explained.
It was previously reported that Sanders did not put his best foot forward with the Giants in a private interview with coach Brian Daboll, among others.
