Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is a Pro Bowler.
Sanders was selected as the alternate for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who will play in Super Bowl LX. His selection, which made Browns franchise history, arose from a slew of injuries to the AFC’s best quarterbacks.
Sanders was grateful for the opportunity.
Sanders will join defensive end Myles Garrett—who set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23 in 2025—and cornerback Denzel Ward as Cleveland’s representatives in the Pro Bowl.
He is the first Browns quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since Derek Anderson in 2007. He is the eighth Browns quarterback to appear in the Pro Bowl after Anderson, Bernie Kosar, Brian Stipe, Bill Nelsen, Frank Ryan, Milt Plum, and Otto Graham. He is also the seventh Browns rookie to make a Pro Bowl, and the first since Ward’s rookie season in 2018. He was the only member of the Browns’ rookie class to be named.
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen will start the 2026 Pro Bowl Games in Santa Clara, California, the Tuesday before the Super Bowl. Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert is the other quarterback on the initial roster, but his status is up in the air thanks to a broken non-throwing hand he suffered late in the regular season.
Sanders’ selection was the result of a slew of season-ending injuries to the AFC’s upper tier of quarterbacks.
Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the Divisional Round win against Allen and the Bills. Kansas City Chiefs QB and perennial Pro Bowler Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL against Herbert and the Chargers in December. Indianapolis Colts QB Daniel Jones had his season derailed by a fractured fibula and an Achilles tear. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson also suffered a lower back injury late in the season, though he did play the Ravens’ regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But the rookie was selected over several of the remaining active quarterbacks who had better statistics. Sanders only played 7 games, going 3–4 while completing 120 of 212 passes for 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He added 21 carries for 169 yards and a rushing touchdown. But his 68.1 passer rating was lower than that of fellow rookie passer Dillon Gabriel, who scored an 80.8 rating.
Besides being the second-best passer on his own team, Sanders obviously had less success on the season than several of the other eligible quarterbacks.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed for 4,007 yards and 29 TDs against 12 picks, helped lead the Jags to an AFC South division title, and is a finalist for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers passed for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns against 7 picks, and also led the Steelers to a division title in the AFC North. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 3,041 yards, 19 TDs, and 8 picks in 14 games, and helped lead the Texans to a 10–7 record and a Wild Card berth.
Official sources have not confirmed whether they were not selected because they turned down invitations.
Sanders was hyped up as the No. 2 quarterback in the pre-draft process in 2025 behind Tennessee Titans draftee Cam Ward. But by Draft weekend, Sanders was repeatedly passed over and fell all the way to the fifth round, 144th overall pick.
The Browns selected him after Gabriel, whom they drafted in the third round, 94th overall. Sanders competed with Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco for the starting quarterback job. The Browns traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders in the preseason and Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals early in the regular season. Sanders filled in for Gabriel in Week 11 when he went down with a concussion, and started for the rest of the season.
