Making it to the Pro Bowl at 23, after first rookie year, is something that would be celebrated, but seemingly not for Shedeur Sanders. And NFL fans are not holding back.

Under a Sunday X post that shared Sanders’ arrival to practice with his AFC teammates, many commented and questioned his caliber and criticized the Pro Bowl’s management.

“Shedeur Sanders arrives for the AFC's Pro Bowl practice. Pro Bowl Games, Tuesday, 8 pm ET on ESPN. Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App,” the post read.

The top comments read “How is he a pro bowler?” and “Why is he there?” and were just two among many others. To put it into perspective, Sanders is on the same roster as Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco. 

While Burrow threw 17 touchdowns for 1,809 yards, Flacco, a veteran, kept the Bengals afloat after he was traded by the Browns.

The 41-year-old scored 15 touchdowns for 2,479 this season and received his first-ever Pro Bowl invite. 

Now, compared to them, Sanders struggled to make 7 touchdowns for 1,400 yards and is against NFC stars like Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott. 

Looking at the odd bag of players and the logistics, some fans questioned the integrity of the game. One reacted dryly and stated the NFL is continuing for its sake, while others went out criticizing the time and day of the game. 

“nfl still trying to make pro bowl thing work,” the comment read.

“Tuesday at 8pm , just when u thought the NFL couldn’t destroy the pro bowl anymore than it already has,” the X user remarked at the plan.

The Real Reason Why Fans Have an Issue Accepting Sanders as a Pro Bowler

Historically, the Pro Bowl was one of the most anticipated games in the league and featured the best talent across all teams. Being named a Pro Bowler is not only an honor but also a gateway to higher pay, better contracts, and more recognition. 

Sanders is not only a rookie from one of the worst-performing teams in the league, the Cleveland Browns, but has also been marred with controversies.

The tension between him, former head coach Kevin Stefanski, and fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel made several headlines. 

Which is why one X user opined, “Um, who cares? One of the worst qbs in the league.” While this user and others feel negatively against Sanders, many fans came forth and supported him. Especially since Sanders himself couldn’t believe the turn of events.

“I was surprised,” Sanders told the media. “If you’d [told] me this was going to happen at the beginning of the year, I couldn’t say that would have happened.”

Despite all the negativity, Sanders will make an appearance in the coveted matchup. What the future holds remains to be seen!

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Joyita Das