shed.png
Getty Images

Now that the Cleveland Browns have fired coach Kevin Stefanski following a 5-12 finish this season, the next step on the agenda is figuring out the long-term plan for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who went 3-4 as a starter.

Sanders expressed respect for Stefanski after Sunday's 20-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, saying the pair "grew to understand each other" this season.

"We would share different things that we would both go through," Sanders said. "I know he wanted this win, and I know he wants every win, but I know that this one means a lot. I wish we all played as a team, and I wish we could have done more personally within this last year."

Stefanski did not address his future after the finale, but his job status had been reportedly up in the air for weeks given the Browns' slide.

Sanders went 11-of-22 for 111 yards with a lost fumble in his final start. Over eight games, Sanders finished 120-of-212 for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a passer rating of 68.1. His best outing came in a Dec. 7 loss to the Tennessee Titans after he threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns.

After Sanders became the Browns' first quarterback to win his first career start since 1995 in November, Stefanski gave the fifth-round pick an extended look. If retained, Sanders will have to make a similar, positive impression on Cleveland's new hire.

"I can't think about other people opinion or what they view me as," Sanders said when asked about his future. "I know the teams, the teams that we go against. I know they definitively respect me and the passing game, for sure. But I can't be accountable for somebody else's decision."

Browns quarterback options for 2026

Whatever ownership decides with Cleveland's pending coaching hire, the next move is determining the quarterback room. Sanders is on an extremely team-friendly four-year, $4.6 million deal and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel returns, too, along with high-priced Deshaun Watson.

The Browns signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract in March 2022 and he has only made 19 starts since, a result of NFL suspension and several injuries. Given his contract, Watson is not a tradable asset in Cleveland and won't be off the books until 2030.

Cleveland holds two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including the No. 6 overall. It's possible the Browns go with a quarterback, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, making an expected competition that much more complicated.

"Watson will be unmovable while Gabriel and Sanders will be entering their second seasons," Jones wrote. "Some league sources have wondered if Cleveland would look to deal one of them come next season. And then there's the unknown quarterback for Cleveland, someone who is currently playing in college who the Browns can draft using the capital gained from the Travis Hunter trade."

The evaluation process at quarterback begins for Cleveland as soon as the franchise decides on its new regime. The Browns didn't get a full-season look at Sanders and the incoming staff and offensive coordinator has limited film to form the basis of an opinion on whether he's the scheme-fit option moving forward.

Sanders' opportunity to leave a lasting, positive imprint in the season finale didn't go as planned until the final possession of Sunday's game. It marked only the second time in seven starts he didn't throw a touchdown pass, but Sanders was precise on Cleveland's game-winning drive to set up Andre Szmyt's 49-yard kick as time expired.

"I learned what I like, I learned what I don't like and I know what I'm seeing and what I don't see well," Sanders said about his rookie season. "I learned a lot mentally, physically, emotionally and everything. I think mentally, it was how to deal with feelings when things weren't going your way."