Shannon Sharpe isn’t holding back when it comes to how the Cleveland Browns are mishandling Shedeur Sanders, and the Hall of Famer’s latest rant hits at the heart of a franchise that seems hellbent on repeating past mistakes. The former Colorado star was officially named the backup quarterback for Week 6 against Pittsburgh after the Browns traded Joe Flacco to Cincinnati, but head coach Kevin Stefanski’s hemming and hawing before making that decision sparked a firestorm.
Sharpe, who’s been one of Deion Sanders’ closest friends for years, called the entire situation “a mockery” on his Nightcap podcast with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. But his most scathing critique came when he addressed a report from The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd suggesting the Browns might be hesitant to release or properly develop Shedeur because they’re haunted by the Baker Mayfield ghost. “I think it’s a fear of more of than the Deshaun Watson debacle, and it’s a total debacle at this point,” Sharpe said. “I think, it’s just a fear of a guy could develop elsewhere and then three years from now we’re having the exact same conversation we are with Baker.”
Sharpe’s frustration boiled over when he questioned why Cleveland would even care if Shedeur develops elsewhere if they’re not willing to invest in him themselves. “Cleveland, if you can’t develop a quarterback, why do you care if he goes somewhere else and somebody puts the time into him and develops him and actually wants him? Y’all didn’t want Baker. You said you wanted a grown-up. Okay. He had to go a lot of detours, but he eventually got to a place that let him be him.” Sharpe asked pointedly.
The Baker Mayfield comparison is spot on, and the Browns cannot get it out of their history books. Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick who was shipped out after the Browns traded him for Deshaun Watson in 2022. Cleveland, meanwhile, is stuck with an injured Watson who hasn’t met expectations and two rookie quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur (fifth round), whom they seemingly have no clue how to develop.
What makes this whole mess sting even more is that Shedeur was one of the most accomplished passers in college football history. During his time at Colorado under his father’s coaching, he threw a touchdown pass in 49 consecutive games, the longest streak in NCAA Division I history and the second-longest in all of NCAA history. His college QB rating of 156.01 ranks eighth all-time among quarterbacks with at least 13,000 passing yards, and he’s just the second QB in history with 14,000-plus yards while completing over 70% of his passes.
But the Browns, who’ve had only four playoff seasons since 1999, seem determined to waste another talented signal-caller. “Why do you care?” Sharpe asked one more time, his exasperation palpable. “You’re not trying to develop him. He leaves. You release him. He goes somewhere else. They put the time in. They develop him. They give him an opportunity. Why do you care?” For a franchise that’s watching Baker Mayfield light up the league in Tampa while they trot out backups and mismanage rookies, it’s a question Cleveland still can’t answer.
Coach Prime’s blunt take on the Cleveland quarterback circus
While Shannon Sharpe has been going to bat for Shedeur behind the scenes, the kid’s own father has made it crystal clear where he stands on the Browns’ quarterback mess. When reporters asked Deion Sanders about Cleveland trading Joe Flacco to Cincinnati, a move that bumped Shedeur up to backup behind Dillon Gabriel, Coach Prime didn’t even try to hide his frustration. “I don’t care. I don’t give a darn about the Browns at all,” Deion said at his Colorado press conference, his voice dripping with barely concealed irritation. “I care about the Colorado Buffaloes. I do love me some Shedeur Sanders, though, believe that. I care about him, and the rest of that mess I don’t. I’m a coach trying to win games just like they’re trying to win games. I could care less who they traded.” It’s the brutally honest response that only Deion can pull off, but underneath the bravado, there’s a father watching his son get jerked around by a franchise that can’t figure out what it wants.
The timing of Deion’s comments hit different when you consider what Gabriel’s been able to accomplish with the same opportunity that Shedeur hasn’t gotten. Gabriel made his first NFL start against the Vikings, took a loss, and still earned himself a Rookie of the Week nomination while keeping the starting job. Meanwhile, Shedeur’s been stuck in quarterback purgatory since training camp started, going from fourth-string to third-string to finally backup after the Browns traded away both Kenny Pickett and Flacco.