Shedeur Sanders will be a part of the Pro Bowl Games.
The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback will be named a replacement for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on the AFC’s roster for the Pro Bowl Games, ESPN reported Monday. Maye will be unavailable to participate in the Pro Bowl after helping the Patriots reach Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
Sanders is the first Browns quarterback to be named a Pro Bowler since 2008. He will also be the first fifth-round rookie to be named a Pro Bowler since Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua earned the honor in 2023.
After opening the regular season as the Browns’ third-string quarterback, Sanders became the team’s starter when Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion in Week 11. Sanders went 3-4 in the seven games he started, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions over the eight games he appeared in. He added 169 rushing yards and a score on the ground, too.
While Sanders’ stats don’t jump off the page, he was able to bring a spark to Cleveland’s offense. His 66-yard touchdown pass in his first start in the Browns’ Week 12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders was the team’s longest completion at that point in the season.
Sanders, who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, memorably fell in the 2025 NFL Draft as many thought he would be a first-round pick. The former Colorado star was touted as one of the top quarterback prospects by experts in the lead-up to the draft, but was the sixth quarterback taken. Gabriel was one of the five selected before Sanders, with the Browns drafting the Oregon product in the third round.
The 2026 Pro Bowl Games will mark the fourth-straight year that the competition will be a non-contact flag football game. But it’s also the first year that the game will be integrated as part of the Super Bowl activities. The game will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, which is where the Super Bowl Experience will be held this year.
Former San Francisco 49ers star Jerry Rice will coach the AFC team in the Pro Bowl, while fellow 49ers icon Steve Young is coaching the NFC squad.
