By admin 
Shedeur Sanders served as Deshaun Watson’s backup for the Cleveland Browns’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Todd Monken announced his decision to name Watson the starter over Sanders after the Browns’ second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. While Sanders performed well against the Bills as a starter, Monken believed Watson’s full body of work throughout the offseason, training camp and preseason warranted the starting job.
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Watson, however, failed to live up to Monken’s expectations, as the veteran quarterback struggled massively from the start, throwing an interception on the opening possession. It never got any better as Watson failed to get into any sort of rhythm. The Browns ended up losing to the Jaguars, 34-10, giving Monken a difficult start to his first season as an NFL head coach.
Monken has been under scrutiny ever since the loss, with fans questioning his decision to pick Watson over Sanders as the Browns’ starting quarterback. Some fans were even heard chanting, “We want Shedeur,” during the game. Monken has since said he expects to stick with Watson for the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but has highlighted how popular Sanders is among the fans.
However, this isn’t something new for Sanders, who has been in the spotlight ever since his college days. Sanders’ popularity attracted numerous brands throughout his college career. With Sanders’ NIL valuation peaking at an estimated $6.5 million, he had multiple high-profile partnerships with Nike, Gatorade, Beats by Dre, and others.
Sanders might be the Browns’ backup quarterback, but his popularity has continued to grow, and brands have taken notice. Sanders has announced another business partnership with Valley Automotive Group in Cleveland as part of their “Valley Pro Team.” The company hosted Sanders at their corporate offices to kick off the partnership.
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The Browns quarterback is known for working with local Northeast Ohio automotive groups, including Drive Point Auto Group. Sanders also surprised a single mother with a brand-new car as part of the partnership.
Sanders might play or serve as the backup quarterback, but it’s next to impossible to keep the spotlight off him, and this latest partnership is another example of that.
Related: Todd Monken, Browns Dealt Unfortunate News After Shedeur Sanders Decision
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 8:09 AM.