The Cleveland Browns have their next head coach and it's Todd Monken, who served as the Ravens offensive coordinator for the past three years. Rumors swirled during the 2025 NFL season that Monken's Ravens were interested in drafting Colorado quarterback and eventual Browns fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders.
Now, Monken is in Cleveland and might get a chance to run an offense with Sanders. We'll have to see what the Browns decide to do at quarterback this offseason but, right now, Sanders is likely the starter if the Browns had to play a game.
The Browns' social media account shared a fun interaction between Monken and his new quarterback on Friday where he even brings up that he wanted to coach Sanders in last year's draft.
"Hey, we tried to draft your ass last year for God's sake. It's all worked out," Monken said to Sanders. "You remember that, right? Someday we'll get a chance to talk about that."
Browns fans will love Todd Monken’s honest moment with Shedeur Sanders
Reports indicated that the Ravens were interested in drafting Sanders but that the Colorado product had no desire to go to Baltimore. He reportedly didn't want to be on a roster with Lamar Jackson because he wouldn't have a chance to play.
Well, had Sanders not pushed back on that, he actually might have gotten to play in 2025 for the Ravens given that Jackson missed four games due to injury. Sanders ended up appearing in eight games for the Browns and made seven starts as a rookie, so he received more playing time in Cleveland. But who knows how he'd have looked in Baltimore had he not rejected them?
Now we'll potentially get to see Sanders in a Monken offense, as he's coming to Cleveland to take over as head coach. It'll be interesting to see how the quarterback position is addressed this offseason but, considering Monken could have had Sanders last year with the Ravens, maybe that'll be enough to keep him around for another year.