Cleveland Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam: Drafting Shedeur Sanders Wasn’t My Decision

National Football League: Cleveland Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam on Drafting Shedeur Sanders

The Cleveland Browns made a move that many NFL teams consider when drafting a quarterback, even with three capable players already on their active roster: they chose another quarterback in the same draft. While this scenario is not very common, the Browns saw potential value and traded up to secure the No. 144 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, where they selected Shedeur Sanders, the Colorado quarterback and 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. This decision came after they had previously picked Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist, with the No. happyday casino 94 pick.

Sanders’ selection certainly raised eyebrows, leading to ongoing discussions about whether Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski were in favor of drafting Sanders, or if it was owner Jimmy Haslam who pushed for the decision. There was a lot of speculation fueled by the live reactions captured in Cleveland’s war room, where Berry and Stefanski appeared to show signs of dissatisfaction once the pick was announced swag face in tagalog.

Haslam took the opportunity to clarify his involvement in the decision to draft Sanders during Tuesday’s training camp. “If you’d told me on Friday night while I was driving home that we were going to take Shedeur, I would’ve said that’s not happening,” he stated demarcus cousins age. “But we had a conversation early that morning [on Day 3 of the draft], and then we talked again later that day. I believe we included the right people in that discussion. Ultimately, it’s Andrew Berry’s decision. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur,” Haslam explained, as reported by Cleveland.com. “Just like who’s going to start or what play we’re going to call is Kevin’s decision. That’s Andrew’s decision. He made that call.”

Shedeur Sanders was widely considered first-round talent, and his being undrafted on Days 1 and 2 became one of the focal points of the draft. In his final season at Colorado (2024), Sanders amassed impressive stats with 4,134 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a passer rating of 168.2, successfully completing 74.0% of his passes. He led the Big 12 in multiple categories, including passing yards, passing touchdowns, passer rating, and completion percentage blacklist eyon.

As for the rest of their quarterback lineup, the Browns traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett in March and welcomed veteran Joe Flacco back to the team after his stint with the Browns in 2023. Unfortunately, Deshaun Watson is expected to be sidelined for the entire 2025 season due to a torn Achilles tendon.

Although Flacco seems to be the safest option for the starting position given his knowledge of Stefanski’s offense, the Browns have yet to announce their Week 1 quarterback. They are set to kick off the 2025 preseason on the road against the Carolina Panthers on August 8. sss contribution table for 2023

What do you think about the Browns’ decision to draft Shedeur Sanders?