Shedeur Sanders Reportedly Turned Down Ravens to Avoid Sitting Behind Lamar Jackson

The Cleveland Browns drafted Colorado Buffaloes’ Shedeur Sanders with the 144th pick on the third day of the NFL spring draft.

Shedeur Sanders Reportedly Turned Down Ravens to Avoid Sitting Behind Lamar Jackson

Shedeur Sanders and Lamar Jackson (Image via AP News)

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The season might have started, and the Cleveland Browns might have lost their first two games, too. Yet, the drama revolving around Shedeur Sanders hasn’t settled down a bit.

The Colorado Buffaloes product was drafted late in the NFL Draft 2025 by the Cleveland Browns. In a tight QB room, the Browns selected veteran Joe Flacco to lead them in the new season ahead of Sanders and another draftee from the year, Dillon Gabriel. In the wake of his draft slide, there were quite a lot of rumors and theories about why it happened, from his flashy traits to his celebrity status as a nepo kid.

There were even some conspiracies about the franchises colluding to avoid picking the young quarterback. However, a recent report by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com revealed that there was a team that wished to pick Sanders, not way ahead, but at 141st. The Baltimore Ravens. The team to whom Sanders said not to pick him.

The reason is quite surface-level. Sanders, son of a prominent NFL legend, Deion Sanders, didn’t want to be second-string behind an established Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have their full trust in Jackson, who has been the cornerstone of their offense in the past few seasons, including the two in which he won the MVP honors.

Sure, Sanders would be a backup to Jackson in Baltimore, but his fortunes currently in Ohio aren’t much better. However, he might get a lift, to backup, if the Browns lose the next few games as well. Nonetheless, it is not like Jackson hasn’t gotten any injuries in the past, and a backup had to step in.

The Baltimore Ravens crush the Cleveland Browns in divisional thriller

In Week 2, the Baltimore Ravens were looking to bounce back from the last-minute loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens had an early two-digit lead before fumbling it all in the last minute when defending MVP Josh Allen rallied an insane comeback.

Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson passes against the Browns during their Week 2 divisional matchup (Image via AP)

The Ravens have done just that in their second game. The Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns 41-17 in a lopsided game at M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland. The Browns never really had any advantage in the game as the Ravens pummeled one after another to shut down their opponents.

Lamar Jackson led the Ravens in stride, throwing 19-of-29 for 225 yards and four touchdowns. He also had two carries for 13 yards. DeAndre Hopkins and Tylan Wallace caught one touchdown each, and Devontez Walker caught two.

The Ravens were surprisingly limited in their rushing offense, and the pass game took the baton and led the relay all along. The Cleveland defense held Derrick Henry to only 23 rushing yards on 11 carries and forced the Ravens to grind for every yard.

Offensively, though, the Browns (0–2) struggled for most of the game. Their only touchdown came on a fourth-down play in the third quarter, when Joe Flacco’s pass slipped through Marlon Humphrey’s hands and deflected to Cedric Tillman for an 18-yard score that cut the deficit to 20–10. It marked the second consecutive week the Ravens surrendered a fourth-down touchdown on a deflected pass. Overall, Flacco underperformed with 25 completions off 45 attempts and even had one interception.

The Browns and the Ravens have a rivalry that dates back to “The Move.” They share a unique link in NFL history. In 1996, the original Browns franchise moved from Cleveland to Baltimore, where it became the Ravens, while the Browns’ name, colors, and records remained in Cleveland.

A new Browns team was later established in 1999 as an expansion franchise, preserving the city’s football legacy. In the shared rivalry, the Ravens have the upper hand, defeating the Browns on 37 instances, including recent Sunday night.

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