Shedeur Sanders ditches rookie number as Browns announce change heading into 2026 season

Shedeur Sanders is making a jersey alteration heading into his sophomore NFL season, and he’s going backmost to his Colorado roots. 

Sanders, who wore No. 12 during his rookie season, volition deterioration No. 2 adjacent twelvemonth for the Cleveland Browns. 

As the Browns made it authoritative connected societal media, Sanders did truthful arsenic well, penning "#2" connected X to coincide with his squad. 

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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns stands for the nationalist anthem anterior to a NFL preseason 2025 crippled against the Carolina Panthers astatine Bank of America Stadium connected August 8, 2025 successful Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images) (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)

The determination comes aft wide receiver DeAndre Carter, who wore the fig for Cleveland past season, is nary longer connected the roster. Now that helium has a twelvemonth nether his belt, Sanders tin marque the change. 

And helium does truthful with his aged assemblage number, arsenic Sanders wore No. 2 astatine Jackson State University earlier transferring to Colorado, arsenic his father, Deion Sanders, took the caput manager relation with the Buffaloes. 

SHEDEUR SANDERS' WILD 2025 BEGAN WITH DRAFT FALL, BUT IT'S ENDING WITH HOPE AFTER TUMULTUOUS TURNS

While helium was wearing No. 12 past season, Sanders started the twelvemonth successful a extent role, arsenic seasoned Joe Flacco was Kevin Stefanski’s starting quarterback. But, erstwhile Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals pursuing Joe Burrow’s injury, Dillon Gabriel, who was drafted 2 rounds earlier Sanders successful a shocking NFL Draft for the Buffaloes product, took implicit the role. 

He would beryllium Gabriel’s backup, but aft the latter’s struggles and injury, it was Sanders’ clip to measurement up. 

Cleveland Browns backmost Shedeur Sanders reacts connected the sideline during the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, successful Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Sanders won his first-ever commencement against the Las Vegas Raiders and went 3-4 crossed 7 starts arsenic helium remained the starter for the remainder of the season. Since then, Stefanski was fired; caput manager Todd Monken was hired, and the seasoned manager who served arsenic John Harbaugh’s violative coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens echoed what the Browns said heading into 2026 — determination volition beryllium an unfastened backmost competition. 

Monken told NFL Network astatine the NFL owners gathering successful Phoenix connected Monday that the Browns haven’t "gotten that acold yet" successful presumption of naming Sanders their starter heading into the team’s offseason program. 

Deshaun Watson, who has had a turbulent Browns tenure, is backmost successful the fold, portion Gabriel is backmost steadfast heading into 2026. 

Sanders surely understands he’ll person to beryllium himself again with a caller coaching unit successful the building, arsenic that’s yet the quality of the NFL but for a uncommon radical of certified starters. 

Cleveland Browns' Shedeur Sanders (12) and Teven Jenkins (74) observe a touchdown successful the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Tennessee Titans successful Cleveland connected Dec. 7, 2025.  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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But Sanders has a Pro Bowl nether his loop already contempt the tiny illustration size connected the NFL gridiron. He’s looking to physique disconnected the momentum of past season, but it’ll beryllium a caller commencement with a caller number.  

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