‘No honor’ – Shedeur Sanders haters erupt at NFL as Browns quarterback handed prestigious title

It has been reported that Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been added to the AFC roster for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games.

While the nod marks a historic milestone for the young signal-caller, it has simultaneously ignited a massive debate regarding the integrity of the league’s annual all-star festivities.

Getty

Sanders, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is heading to San Francisco as a replacement for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who is ineligible to play as he prepares for Super Bowl LX, which fans can watch here.

With other high-profile AFC alternates like Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix, and Trevor Lawrence either sidelined by injury or reportedly declining the invitation, the NFL turned to the high-profile rookie.

Sanders is the first fifth-round rookie to earn a Pro Bowl nod since Puka Nacua in 2023, and the first Browns quarterback to be named since Derek Anderson in 2008.

The hater side of the aisle has been up in arms since the news broke. Sanders’ rookie campaign was a statistical roller coaster that saw him take over a struggling Browns offense that didn’t get any better under his watch.

Sanders completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, throwing seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions, while adding 169 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Cleveland went 3–4 in his seven starts.

A total of seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions is difficult to justify.

“I thought Mitch Trubisky and Snoop Huntley couldn’t be topped as the worst Pro Bowl QBs ever but here we are,” one fan commented on X.

“What a joke. Embarrassment for the NFL,” another fan chimed in.

Critics have flooded social media, arguing that Sanders’ selection is the final proof that the Pro Bowl has transitioned from a merit-based honor to a “clout-based” marketing event.

“The NFL has now made the honor of being a Pro Bowl player completely meaningless. Either every single other QB said no, or they added him to create a buzz. Either way, naming the worst QB in the NFL a Pro Bowler is indefensible. Event was already a joke, now its humiliation,” one more fan posted on X.

Getty

Getty

“The Pro Bowl has officially been invalidated as an accolade,” another fan claimed.

Detractors point out that a quarterback throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, on a team that recently fired its head coach, should not be labeled one of the best in the conference.

Many believe the NFL is leaning on the Sanders “brand” to boost ratings for the Pro Bowl Games’ flag football and skills competition format, while most argue that because so many stars now opt out, the “Pro Bowler” title has been watered down to the point where it no longer reflects the top-tier talent of the league and there is no honor in it anymore.

Despite the noise, Sanders will join teammates Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward at the Moscone Center on February 3.

For the Browns’ rookie, it’s a career highlight; for the critics, it’s a symptom of an event that has lost its way.