Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

‘Leaned on Him for Wisdom’ – Shedeur Sanders Shares Heartfelt Message after the Joe Flacco Trade

Shedeur Sanders has quickly become the backup QB in Cleveland as Joe Flacco heads to Cincinnati!

Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Just 1 game after benching veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, the Cleveland Browns decided to move on from him completely. In a trade agreed with the neighboring Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns shipped Flacco and a 2026 6th-round pick for a 2026 5th-round pick in return.

The Flacco trade happened so quickly that the decision seemed to have come out of thin air. However, the keys to the Browns’ offense now lie with rookie third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel, who started his first game under center last week against the Minnesota Vikings.

That also means the former third-string quarterback for the Browns, Shedeur Sanders, is now the official backup in Cleveland.

Following the Browns’ reported trade of Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders becomes the backup QB in Cleveland ⌚ pic.twitter.com/kIJ5szpW1N
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 7, 2025

Shedeur Sanders on the Joe Flacco Trade News

Soon after the news of Flacco’s trade broke out, Sanders was asked about his thoughts on the trade. The rookie expressed his happiness for Flacco getting a chance with the Bengals, while acknowledging the role the veteran signal caller played as a mentor to him in the little amount of time the two spent together.

Sanders stated that Flacco was a really big help to him during their time in Cleveland, but also realized that everyone has their own destiny.

“He was definitely somebody I leaned on for wisdom,” said Sanders before continuing. “I feel like he helped me a lot with my time being here in Cleveland. So now, everybody has their own destinies and have their own plans (that) they have in lives, so I’m just happy for him.”

#Browns back-up QB Shedeur Sanders speaks exclusively to @fox8news @John_Sabol about the trade of Joe Flacco to the #Bengals. pic.twitter.com/PDQF6ihBz1
— P.J. ZIEGLER (@PJFOX8) October 7, 2025

It is safe to assume that Sanders would have learned quite a few things in the company of Flacco. After all, the veteran brought in a ton of experience as well as leadership, having already won a Super Bowl back in his prime.

What Impact Does Flacco’s Trade Have on Sanders?

All those who had followed the offseason, and especially the 2025 NFL draft, are well aware of the infamous slide that Sanders witnessed. A top three candidate for much of the pre-draft, Sanders not only fell completely out of the first round, but he slid all the way to the fifth round until the Browns finally selected him.

And despite selecting Sanders, the Browns had already taken quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round, who has since remained a step ahead of Sanders in the eyes of the coaching staff. At a point in time when the Browns had as many as six signal callers, Sanders was just ahead of Deshaun Watson, and that too because of Watson’s injury.

Shedeur Sanders went from QB4 to QB2 in 2 months.

Almost time to put your WRISTS up ⌚️

pic.twitter.com/39AzkAiObJ
— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) October 7, 2025

Now, however, Sanders finally has a fair chance at a starting role as the backup quarterback. The Browns will surely roll with Gabriel for the upcoming weeks, and with the exception that he plays extremely poorly, he should remain the starter for the rest of the season.

However, Sanders now has the best opportunity to get on the field should Gabriel go down with an injury or poor form. The start of Sanders’ NFL journey is taking time, but he can still take heart from the fact that the stars are lining up for him quicker than anticipated.

Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns

Joe Flacco

NFL

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!