Shedeur Sanders’ rookie season was historically bad – even by the Browns’ standards

Shedeur Sanders’ rookie campaign with the Cleveland Browns finally came to an end, and it’s probably for the best.

Sanders has embraced the Browns’ starting quarterback job since Week 12. He ended the season with a 3-4 record, the best among the players who started for Cleveland throughout the campaign, involving Joe Flacco (1-3) and Dillon Gabriel (1-5).

However, that didn’t mean that Sanders performed spectacularly throughout 2025, per analyst Shawn Iyer. The rookie quarterback finished with an 18.8 quarterback rating, the worst rating in Cleveland’s franchise history with a minimum of six starts.

“12.0 QBR (per @espn) for Shedeur Sanders in the win today. That brings his final QBR average for his rookie season to 18.8. That is the worst single-season QBR average in #Browns history (min. 6 starts),” Iyer wrote.

What lies ahead for Shedeur Sanders, Browns

Shedeur Sander will indeed have a lot to learn from his rookie campaign, knowing his ceiling is high with the Browns. However, he will need to cut down his mistakes and become more accurate as a passer and quicker as a decision-maker to have his offensive skillset be more potent.

Sanders ended the season with 120 completions out of 212 attempts for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In the Browns’ 20-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, he completed 11 passes out of 22 attempts for 111 yards.

Cleveland finished the 2025 season with a 5-12 record, being at the bottom of the AFC North Division standings. They remain under the Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. In terms of the AFC standings, they end the year at 13th place. They are above the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets while being under the Kansas City Chiefs and Bengals.

The Browns will look to retool in the offseason through the draft and free agency, seeking a return to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

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