With Shedeur Sanders’ Pro Bowl selection (replacing Drake Maye), for some people, the noise is
about to be unbearable. When Coach Prime brought his son to Colorado, some people
said it was pure nepotism, with the younger Sanders in for a wake-up call.
While he may not have been the Player of the Year in the FBS, Sanders more than held
his own. Behind two years of Swiss cheese offensive lines, he managed to complete
71.8% of his passes, for 306.8 yards per game, and 64 touchdowns to just 13
interceptions. Haters will point to his win-loss record as the reason he is a failure, there
is only so much one player can do on a team with 24 starters. His team’s defense did
give up nearly 30 points per game over his two seasons. Even the best quarterback in
college history would have a hard time winning under those circumstances.
Pundits were torn about Sanders heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Todd McShay had
the Browns selecting Sanders with the 15th pick, while his partner in crime, Mel Kiper,
had Sanders going ninth to the New Orleans Saints. Nobody in the football world
predicted a fall to the fifth round. Kiper called the slip “disgusting.” In order to make
sense of the nonsensical freefall, some speculated a conspiracy, while others said
Sanders just “wasn’t that good”.
Despite losing the starting quarterback job to Joe Flacco and the backup role to
third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, Sanders would end up starting the final seven games for
the Browns, going 3-4. He only completed 56.6% of his passes for 175 yards per game,
and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns(7). Far from guaranteeing him the
2026 starter, Sanders did show flashes that gave Cleveland fans hope. Not enough to
warrant a Pro Bowl selection, however.
Shedeur Sanders’ Pro Bowl Selection Is A Money Decision
The NFL Pro Bowl viewing numbers have plummeted year over year. As player
contracts got bigger and safety became paramount, the game turned into two-hand
touch, with both teams refusing to tackle. Today, the event is more about the skills
competition than the actual game, which is literally flag football. In 2022, the game drew
6.7 million viewers, and last season, just 4.7 million.
Whether he is deserving or not, Sanders is one of the more popular players among fans across the
league, and his addition to the games will draw viewers. Those who like him and root for
him will tune in, but so will those who hate him. After the game, which will be
high-scoring and have no impact or similarity to real football, his play will be evaluated
and graded.
From a football perspective, the addition of Sanders to the games makes no sense at
all. He doesn’t have the stats, nor has he had the season to justify it. From a business perspective, however, it’s pure genius. The NFL knows what it’s doing when it comes to making money and getting the league more attention.
