With the NFL trade deadline coming up on Nov. 10, one of the most interesting names to watch in the trade rumor world is Shedeur Sanders. The Browns quarterback made a curious move this week, and it's one that could possibly signify that he might be on his way out of Cleveland. Sanders hired an agent on Wednesday, according to ESPN, after spending the first part of his career without one.
Sanders has signed on with Adie von Gontard (CEO of Young Money APAA Sports), who also represents Sanders' former college teammate, Travis Hunter. The move was interesting for two big reasons: 1. As a player who was drafted in 2025, Sanders isn't allowed to start negotiating a new contract with his team until after the 2027 season, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for him hire an agent right now (If he's looking toward 2027, he could simply have waited until after the season to hire an agent). 2.
The last notable player to hire an agent during the middle of the season was Marvin Harrison Jr. The former Cardinals receiver hired an agent for the first time on Oct. 9, and less than 24 hours later, Arizona leaked out news that he was being traded. By Oct. 11, the deal was done, and he was on his way to Houston.
The only reason it would make sense to hire an agent now is if you need some representation heading into the trade deadline. If you have an agent, they can sniff around and see if you're drawing any interest on the trade market, and if so, they could then try to convince your team that both sides would be better off if you moved on. There's already been some speculation that the Browns are open to dealing a quarterback before the deadline.
The team has four healthy quarterbacks in Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green. Through the first four weeks of the season, Gabriel was on injured reserve, so it made sense to keep all four quarterbacks. Watson served as the starter while Sanders served as the backup with Green being a developmental project.
With Gabriel now healthy, there's no reason for the Browns to keep four quarterbacks, so it could certainly make a lot of sense to move on from either Sanders or Gabriel. Before the season started, there was some speculation that Sanders might ultimately end up as the starting QB in Cleveland if Watson played poorly to start the year, but instead, he's got the Browns off to a 3-2 start, and he has three fourth-quarter comebacks. This is now Watson's team, which makes Sanders expendable.
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