Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has continued to dominate headlines during his rookie season. Plenty of speculation has surfaced surrounding which teams wanted to draft Sanders before he shockingly slid to the Browns in the fifth round.
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton recently spoke on his podcast, “4thand1 With Cam Newton,” about Sanders’ controversial decision to pass up on certain teams that wanted to draft him. The Browns, who went 3-14 last season and are 0-2 to start the 2025 campaign, were rivalled in the Sanders sweepstakes by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and another powerhouse in the Baltimore Ravens.
“It was three teams: the Cleveland Browns, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Baltimore Ravens. Why would Shedeur not want to go to Baltimore or Philadelphia… Anybody in the NFL Draft has this consistent thought: I want to go to a team where I can play. If that’s your thought, my source tells me that Shedeur had too much respect for Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts. He would be in a situation where he would have needed Lamar or Jalen to get hurt in order for him to play,” Newton said.
Newton supported Sanders’ decision to avoid a situation in which he would have an unrealistic shot at playing time. The Colorado football legend made a smart business decision that could pay dividends later in the season if the Browns opt to go with a younger option at quarterback.
Cleveland has started veteran Joe Flacco to begin the campaign, which may be a good thing for Sanders given the lack of offensive talent he would be surrounded with if he was thrown into the mix this early in his career.
Newton doubled down on his support of Sanders’ ultimate avoidance of teams with elite quarterbacks, recognizing that players should do what they believe is best for their individual careers.
“All money ain’t good money, and not every opportunity is really a great opportunity for where you are or what your vision is,” Newton said. “If you are dealing with an individual who has the utmost respect for Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts … The thought is if I go to Cleveland, I will have more of a chance to play and compete for a position rather than hoping that an individual gets hurt. You have to do what’s best for you even if nobody agrees with it. That’s something that you have to live with.”
