The Cleveland Browns’ decision to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft at pick No. 144 has sparked widespread debate, with speculation centering on whether team owner Jimmy Haslam overruled his football operations staff to make the selection. The controversy, detailed in a Bleacher Report article titled “Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Pick: An Owner’s Call?” on April 28, 2025, has been fueled by the muted reactions in the Browns’ draft room and insider reports suggesting Haslam’s involvement, despite denials from general manager Andrew Berry.
During the draft, broadcast footage captured the Browns’ draft room at the moment Sanders’ selection was announced on April 26 at Lambeau Field. Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski, and Haslam were seen offering polite claps, but their lack of visible enthusiasm raised eyebrows. When asked about the tempered reactions during a post-draft press conference, Berry laughed and attributed it to fatigue, saying, “We’re probably just tired from the weekend,” as reported by The Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling. Stefanski echoed this sentiment, telling reporters, “Not to read too much into that,” per the same article. However, their explanations did little to quell speculation, with many pointing to the Browns’ already crowded quarterback room as evidence of a disconnect.
The Browns had already selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round at pick No. 94, a move that surprised some given their recent signings of veteran Joe Flacco on March 15, 2025, to a one-year, $4.5 million deal, and the trade for former first-round pick Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles on March 20 for a 2025 fifth-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Additionally, Deshaun Watson remains on the roster but is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season after suffering a torn Achilles in October 2024, followed by a re-tear during rehab in January 2025, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. Berry addressed the decision to draft two quarterbacks, stating at the press conference, “We didn’t plan to take two entering the draft, but going into Day 3, with Shedeur still on the board, we were prepared to pick him if he slipped too far,” as quoted by The Beacon Journal. The Browns traded their remaining two picks—No. 166 and No. 192—to the Seattle Seahawks to secure the 144th pick for Sanders, per NFL.com’s transaction log.
Despite Berry’s explanation, rumors of Haslam’s influence have persisted. NFL insider James Palmer, speaking on NFL Insider Notebook for Underdog and Bleacher Report on April 27, said, “There’s enough people around the league that have told me this is an owner pick. I don’t think you have to be a genius, looking at Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry when the pick came in. Oftentimes owners step in, and oftentimes—it wasn’t the only instance in this draft where an owner stepped in. That is the buzz around the league. Has it been confirmed by the Browns? No, obviously. But there is some talk that it was there, and this was somewhat of an owner pick.” Palmer’s comments align with earlier reports from EssentiallySports on April 28, which noted Haslam’s history of involving himself in football decisions, including the 2022 trade for Watson, a move that has since been acknowledged as a failure by the Browns’ brass, per the team’s statement to Cleveland.com in March 2025.
Berry, however, pushed back on the narrative of Haslam’s involvement during a media session on April 27, saying, “Jimmy lets us do our jobs,” as reported by The Beacon Journal. Still, the speculation has been fueled by the Browns’ quarterback situation and Sanders’ polarizing draft profile. Sanders, who threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions with a 74% completion rate at Colorado in 2024, per ESPN, was once projected as a first-round pick but fell to the fifth round due to concerns about his attitude and off-field demeanor, as noted in a The Athletic draft analysis by Dane Brugler. His pre-draft process included a contentious interview with Giants coach Brian Daboll and public comments from his father, Deion Sanders, about avoiding certain teams, which turned off several franchises, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The decision to draft Sanders has drawn criticism, particularly given the Browns’ existing quarterback depth. An NFL.com article on April 27 titled “Browns QB favored to start Week 1 for Cleveland revealed, and it’s not Shedeur Sanders” reported that Joe Flacco, who started 5 games for the Colts in 2024 with a 62.3% completion rate and 1,497 yards, is the early favorite to start, with Sanders likely beginning as the fourth-string quarterback behind Flacco, Pickett, and Gabriel. Former NFL player Chris Long, speaking on his Green Light Podcast on April 26, criticized Deion Sanders’ valuation of his son, saying, “Deion missed the mark on Shedeur’s value—he’s not a top-10 pick with those red flags,” as quoted by Bleacher Report. The Browns’ plan to navigate their crowded quarterback room remains unclear, with The Athletic’s Zac Jackson reporting on April 27 that the team may look to trade or release Pickett, whose $2.62 million cap hit in 2025 is manageable, per OverTheCap.
As the Browns head into OTAs in May 2025, the debate over Sanders’ selection—and who ultimately made the call—continues to loom large. While Berry and Stefanski maintain the decision was a football operations choice, the lingering buzz about Haslam’s involvement underscores the challenges of aligning ownership and management in Cleveland, a team desperate to find stability at quarterback after a 8-9 season in 2024 and years of uncertainty at the position.
