The Cleveland Browns are at an impasse. On one side, Shedeur Sanders just dropped four touchdowns and over 350 yards in a single game. At the same time, even that wasn't enough for the Browns to secure a win against arguably the worst team in the NFL. With Sanders' QB role in question, one NFL insider thinks Shedeur's 2026 season will be based on a single choice.

Taking to X, NFL Insider Richard Jonhson suggested Shedeur Sanders' future might be outside of Cleveland, if he doesn't get the starting role next season.

"Browns QB Shedeur Sanders 'would almost certainly' request a trade if he is not given the starting job in the offseason."

Now there's one big reason for Sanders to be worried. The threat isn't Dillon Gabriel, but Deshaun Watson.

While he may not recover quick enough for the 2025 season, chances of the Browns releasing him for 2026 are slim. That's because they would still come off with a $53 million hit in the best case scenario. Watson's going to stay until the end of 2026 at a minimum. But what does that mean for Sanders?

There's no guarantee Sanders will be QB1 next year, and he needs gametime. When Shedeur talked about just one week of practice making the difference between the Ravens and Raiders game, he wasn't wrong.

For now, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski trusts Sanders, and it looks like Shedeur has plenty of time to prove himself.

"Obviously with any young player, there’s gonna be ups and downs, and I thought there were some really, really, really good moments. He’ll keep learning from some of the plays that he wants back, but some really good moments."

Week 14 certainly proved it, as Sanders kept breaking one record after another!

Shedeur Sanders creates history in Browns vs Titans 

Against the Titans, Shedeur Sanders threw for 364 yards, a season-high and the most by a Browns quarterback in 2025. He is now the first Browns QB since 1950 to record a game with 300+ pass yards, 3+ pass TDs, and a rush TD.

The records don’t stop there. Since 2000, he’s the only QB after Aaron Rodgers to have four 50+ yard completions in their first three career starts. He also joined Joe Burrow as the only rookies in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to throw for 350+ yards, 3+ passing TDs, and 1+ rushing TD in a single game. 

Given the game against the Titans, do you think he should be the QB1 for the Browns in 2026? Let us know in the comments. 

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar