Tom Brady went 199th. Brock Purdy went dead last. The NFL has a way of proving that draft position doesn’t cap a quarterback’s trajectory, which makes handling a fifth-round talent like Shedeur Sanders a tightrope walk. But that doesn’t mean the second-year quarterback himself can’t shake up the rope every once in a while.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
After navigating his rookie season unrepresented, Sanders raised eyebrows around the league when he hired Adie von Gontard of Young Money APAA on October 14th, just weeks ahead of the November 10th trade deadline. With this move, the rumor mills started spinning out trade speculation faster than any offseason slump had hit him this year. But the team seems to have its mind made up for now.
“They have no plans to trade Sanders or Gabriel before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, unless someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse,” Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported Monday. “As of now, they’re not shopping any of their QBs.”
That stance matches how general manager Andrew Berry has constructed his roster this season. The Cleveland Browns recently activated Dillon Gabriel and chose to keep all four signal-callers – Watson, Sanders, Gabriel, and rookie Taylen Green – on the active 53-man roster, opting to waive rookie tight end Carson Ryan to ensure they had enough quarterback depth. But even that wasn’t enough to quench the trade rumors around Sanders, mostly because of another move he made recently.
The Fort Lauderdale connection.
The trade machine picked up pace when a vlog published by Shedeur’s brother, Shilo Sanders, showed the family house hunting down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Because that place sits just a short drive away from the Miami Dolphins’ training facilities, many connected the footage to a potential South Florida landing spot.
National analysts fed the fire, pointing to comments earlier in October from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who noted that while Cleveland prefers keeping Taylen Green as a developmental piece, they possess the flexibility to listen if a lucrative offer arrives. Polymarket prediction numbers pushed Miami to the forefront, treating the fan theories as near-certainties.
“The Miami #Dolphins are one of the FAVORITES to trade for #Browns Pro Bowl quarterback Shedeur Sanders,” MLFootball reported on X. “Sanders has a 45% chance of being TRADED before the #NFL trade deadline, according to Polymarket. THE POTENTIAL FUTURE FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK FOR MIAMI.”
Back in the 2025 Draft, Sanders had skipped over the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles just because he knew he couldn’t be the starter behind Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts. After eight starts last season with the Browns, all the offseason buzz pointed to Sanders winning the starting job. But with that slipping away from his grasp each week, the trade speculation – combined with the agent signing – is only kicking up a bigger storm.
Behind all this viral chatter lies the reality of Deshaun Watson’s resurgence.
After injuries and suspensions limited him to just 19 appearances over his first four years in Cleveland, the Dawg Pound had had enough of their $230 million quarterback. But entering the final year of that deal with the Browns, Watson has thrown for 1,482 yards and anchored a 5-2 start, giving the coaching staff the kind of stability under center Cleveland has lacked for years.
With Watson making plays and orchestrating winning drives for the team, only an injury or a sudden slump could open the door for Shedeur Sanders. But nothing is certain through a 17-game grind, and Sanders’ 1,400 yards and a 3-4 starting record during his rookie season solidify him as a cost-controlled backup. For all the rumors around him, unless a desperate franchise shells out good picks or players before November 10th, Sanders remains locked in Cleveland’s waiting room.