Entering 2024, the Colorado Buffaloes in the NCAA and the Cleveland Browns in the NFL seemed like two football teams on the rise. In his first season as Colorado‘s head coach, Deion Sanders saw a one-win team become a four-win team — and his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, was tipped as a future star. Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the Browns posted their highest win total in more than 15 years and reached the playoffs thanks to a strong defense, led by star pass rusher Myles Garrett.
But a year later, everything has changed. While Shedeur enhanced his stardom by leading Colorado to a nine-win season, the Browns collapsed in 2024, winning only three games; Garrett on Monday requested a trade. That must mean Cleveland has at least discussed the subject of a true “teardown” rebuild — and the best rebuilds start with a franchise quarterback, someone in the mold of Shedeur Sanders, for example.
A prime opportunity for Cleveland
Though analysts have said that neither Shedeur Sanders nor Miami quarterback Cam Ward would be top-five picks in most drafts, the 2025 NFL Draft is not like most drafts. For quarterback-needy teams, finding “the guy” takes on a different kind of urgency; success in the NFL is elusive for teams that don’t have a franchise player behind center.
The Browns hold the #2 overall selection in the 2025 draft and will likely accrue more draft capital if they accept Garrett‘s trade request. That would put Cleveland in position to draft Shedeur and build a promising group of young players around him — but only under two conditions, according to Browns insider Tony Grossi.
“The Browns should draft Sanders only under two conditions,” Grossi said. “They believe he is the best QB in the draft and they have an understanding with Deion that he will not interfere in any way, now or in the future, with the development of Shedeur in the Browns’ organization.”
It has been suggested that the Browns’ infamous instability would require Deion Sanders to “step in” and try to engineer his 22-year-old son’s move elsewhere, but Grossi explains that if team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam opt to fire head coach Kevin Stefanski in 2025, then they will want to hire Deion. Coach Prime has repeatedly stated that he would only return to the NFL as a coach if he can continue to work with Shedeur.
Meanwhile, Garrett — the Browns’ best player and best trade asset — could be the chip that paves the way for the Sanders brand to return to pro football. The four-time first-team All-Pro has grown frustrated with losing in Cleveland; he’s played only three playoff games in eight years despite routine regular season excellence. The 29-year-old has recorded 102.5 sacks in 117 career games, and he was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
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