Shedeur Sanders will not be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 of the 2025 season. Ahead of the first game against the Bengals, head coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated that Joe Flacco was the player who had the best performance in training camp, and therefore deserves the opportunity.

“Joe’s done a nice job. I would go back to how we structured the offseason, how we structured training camp and named him the starter. He’s gotten all of the work since then with those ones to sharpen up his game and get comfortable with the guys around him.”

The Browns face a very tough challenge, as according to most experts, they’re projected to be the worst team in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Undoubtedly, the uncertainty at the quarterback position is a key factor.

Is Shedeur Sanders going to start for the Browns?

No. Shedeur Sanders will not start for the Browns, and on the team’s latest depth chart, the rookie is listed at the No. 3 spot behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. This means he didn’t even reach the possibility of being the backup and will only see the field in an emergency situation.

Stefanski maintains that Flacco is the best decision at the moment. “He’s done a really nice job to date. He can still move. He’s had a lot of work with us going back to the spring and training camp. A lot of work here. So, I think 2023 was a very different situation in terms of when he got to the team.”

How much money is Shedeur Sanders making with Browns in salary?

Shedeur Sanders signed a four-year, $4.6 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. This means the rookie will earn approximately $1.15 million per season. Obviously, that number was negatively impacted since he was ultimately drafted in the fifth round, not the first round as expected.