Cleveland sports fans have the luxury of a dedicated and highly competitive sports radio landscape, especially when it comes to Browns talk on ESPN Cleveland and 92.3 The Fan. But since talk radio hosts aren’t held to the same ethical standards as reporters, that luxury can also sometimes be a curse.
That’s why Browns fans shouldn’t treat the current talk-show buzz on the team exploring a Shedeur Sanders trade as anything more than conjecture at this point.
Top local voices like Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN and Zac Jackson of The Athletic were quiet on the Sanders front Monday. Well-tapped-in insiders like Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated who often report on the Browns weren’t going there, either. Heck, even Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, who would tweet a Shedeur Sanders trade rumor into oblivion at even the slightest hint of tangible intel, had little more to report outside of the announcement of the team’s training camp dates.
ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo, though, told listeners of The Really Big Show on Monday that the Browns have and continue to take calls on Sanders’ availability in a potential trade. He also hinted that Sanders could be moved sometime over the next month, prior to the start of camp.
“There are talks, ongoing calls about the availability of Shedeur Sanders," Rizzo said. "The Browns, for whatever reason, don’t think he’s the guy — that’s my opinion. And I’m sure they’ll say, ‘What are you talking about? He’s in a quarterback battle.’ OK, OK. But I’m going to say right now for the record, I don’t think the four quarterbacks are going to camp on July 28. I don’t. Nothing is imminent. But the calls are being made, and I think it’s probably in the best interest of both parties here.”
There's little to no reason for the Browns to trade Shedeur Sanders before training camp
If the Myles Garrett trade on June 1 proved anything, it’s that there’s no sacred cows on the Cleveland Browns' roster right now. Every player, from Denzel Ward to Grant Delpit and even Sanders, should be available at the right price.
But would a team offer the right price to pry Sanders away from Cleveland in July? That seems doubtful at best.
The strategy of selecting Day 3 quarterbacks as potential future trade assets is tried and true in the modern NFL. Right now, Sanders is a developing asset whose true value is still unknown.
So far, we’ve seen him start seven games for a team that was decimated along the offensive line, uncompetitive at the skill positions, and clearly headed for an offseason reset with Kevin Stefanski on the hot seat.
The stats? They weren’t great. But there were clear moments during those seven starts that left the majority of Browns fans itching to see more. Back-to-back wins over division rivals Pittsburgh and Cincinnati to close the 2025 season certainly didn’t hurt.
Sanders definitely didn’t show enough to leave GM Andrew Berry’s phone ringing off the hook, though. He’s clearly a work in progress, and from the Browns' perspective, he's a 24-year-old quarterback who’s under team control through 2028. Sanders is set to make a little over $1 million in salary this season.
Unless a team gets desperate and calls offering a Day 2 draft pick, there’s really no reason for the Browns to consider trading Sanders this summer. If anything, he could be a cost-controlled backup for the team as it manages a transition away from Deshaun Watson over these next two seasons.
The Browns landed Sanders in the fifth round at what now feels like a strong value, considering he’s well ahead of third-rounder Dillon Gabriel on the depth chart. Sanders has reportedly been in the facility all offseason putting in the work. There have been no signs of a bad attitude or any type of negative impact, outside of maybe fans’ ears bleeding over nonsensical sports radio topics.
Rizzo’s been doing this for a long time in Cleveland. It’s his job to create conversations and entertain listeners.
But as he clearly stated during Monday’s show — his take on the Browns not viewing Sanders as “the guy” is purely his opinion. It’s not rooted in reality, as tends to be the case on sports radio, and fans would be wise not to take the bait here.
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