Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was walking through Paris with his brother, Shilo, when he found out he had been selected for the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games. He was absolutely pumped when the news hit, but what should be a celebratory honor has ignited a heated debate across the NFL world. Yet, it’s not like the QB is losing his sleep over all the criticism; he’s proudly letting the world know he’s officially Pro Bowl–bound in 2026.

“🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥,” Shedeur Sanders captioned on his Pro Bowl announcement post.

Sanders was named as a replacement for Drake Maye, who didn’t participate because he’s headed to the Super Bowl. Add injuries to quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, and a spot was then available for Sanders.

Since his official inclusion in the roster, fans were quick to argue that others were more deserving. Trevor Lawrence is the name that came up most often. Apparently, Sanders had spent a good chunk of the season trying to climb the depth chart before finally taking over midway through the year.

When he did take over, he failed to make much of a case for himself.

He finished with roughly 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdown passes, 10 interceptions, and a 56.6 percent completion rate. Those aren’t the usual credentials attached to a Pro Bowl quarterback. That’s what continues to fuel the debate.

But his dad, Deion Sanders, didn’t hold back defending his son.

“My son did something that I didn’t do,” Coach Prime said. “He made the Pro Bowl in his first year. I made him in my third year. But most people don’t know that the major percentage is from the coaches and the players, their selection. Then the fans get a smaller percentage of votes. It’s not just the fan thing.”

Deion had to wait until 1991, his third season, for his first Pro Bowl nod. His son, on the other hand, did it as a rookie.

In all, the debate probably won’t go away anytime soon, but it’s still fair to wonder how this decision came together and why Shedeur Sanders ended up being the choice. Well, for that, Cowboys legend Michael Irvin has a theory.

Michael Irvin understands the NFL’s intentions

Whether Shedeur Sanders truly belongs in the Pro Bowl or not is a fair debate. After all, his name was called while quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Trevor Lawrence were still out there.

According to Michael Irvin, that wasn’t an accident.

“Are they putting him up there because they want to profit off him?” Irvin said. “Nobody cared about the Pro Bowl. Now everybody cares; everybody’s talking about the Pro Bowl. Nobody was talking about the Pro Bowl, but now everybody’s talking about the Pro Bowl. All of that may have something to do with it.”

It’s hard to completely dismiss that logic.

Sheduer  Sanders was one of the most talked-about rookies of the season, even when he was buried on the depth chart. He was a fourth-string QB at one point. The last name alone guaranteed attention. The league knew that. And the league has never been shy about leaning into buzz when it presents itself.

Irvin framed it as a business decision, not a football one, and drew a comparison outside the sport to make his point.

“Jake Paul has done wonders with his popularity and his notoriety; it’s a currency,” Irvin said. “This is the business. Jake Paul didn’t work his way up through amateur boxing … he took the currency of notoriety and visibility, and he surpassed all of those guys that did it the old way.”

Jake Paul isn’t widely viewed as the best boxer in his space, but he generates more money than plenty who are better technically. In Irvin’s view, that same thinking applies here. From that angle, the league may have gotten exactly what it wanted. The Pro Bowl is trending again. That rarely ever happens.