Shedeur Sanders might not be taking reps on the field, but he is sure turning heads off it. After losing the starting QB role to Deshaun Watson, Sanders grabbed a major partnership, making moves in his career off the field.

“Shedeur Sanders, welcome to the Valley Pro Team!” Valley Automotive Group said on IG. “Today we had the pleasure of hosting Shedeur at our corporate offices to kick off this exciting partnership. Valley looks forward to celebrating this season with one of Cleveland’s greatest athletes. #ValleyProTeam #GoBrowns #DawgPound #ShedeurSanders #2legendary @shedeursanders.”

Valley Automotive, an Ohio-based dealership, sponsors athletes across sports to expand its reach. Along with Sanders, there are other athletes associated with the company, including Columbus Blue Jackets star Adam Fantilli, professional racer Amy Ruman, motocross and Supercross racer Jeremy Hand, and Ohio State athletes Brandon Inniss and Legend Bey.

Shedeur Sanders has already made a name for himself off the field through major brand partnerships. He signed an NIL deal with Nike in August 2024, becoming the first college football player to sign an NIL deal with the brand. Before that, he became Beats by Dre’s ambassador in 2021.

Yet on the field, Sanders faces a steeper climb. With Todd Monken sticking with Deshaun Watson heading into Week 2, Sanders’ chances of starting look really thin.

This decision is even more notable after Watson’s shaky performance against the Jaguars. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He threw the interception on the Browns’ opening drive, while his only touchdown came late in the game on a 46-yard pass to Denzel Boston.

Despite that, Monken backed him up.

“I anticipate Deshaun will be our starter,” Monken said. “It’s only been two weeks; he’s gotten all the reps, and there were some really good things on film, some things that you can build on,” Monken said. “I liked his week of practice last week, and I think he’s only going to continue to get better.”

Well, after investing a hefty amount of $230 million in Watson, not letting him play doesn’t seem to make sense. Now, the team is trying to give him a second chance. But even with all the doubts, Watson promised to make it all better in the coming games.

“Yeah, I mean just keep moving forward, keep stepping forward, keep smiling, regardless of who’s against me or who’s with me,” Watson said after the game. “I think that’s more beneficial for the team in that locker room. I’ve had a lot of support in that locker room after the game telling me to keep my head up, keep pushing forward, keep working. They’re behind me, so that’s always positive to see and hear. Yeah, we just got to keep going.”

But where does all of this leave Shedeur Sanders?

For now, he remains the backup quarterback behind Watson. His efforts did show some promise during training camp and the preseason. In the 2026 preseason, he played in Cleveland’s first two games. He struggled against Chicago, completing 6 of 11 passes for 79 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, but looked better against Buffalo, completing 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Even Monken constantly praised his efforts.

“I’m excited about the long game for him,” Monken said back in August during a press conference. “There are certain things he has to continue to work on, and he’s going to continue to grow leaps and bounds because he’s a sponge — takes it all in, he really does. So, I just think it’s a matter of time before we get a chance to see that.”

But that long game is up in the air. If something happens, like last year when Dillon Gabriel was sidelined because of a concussion, Sanders could get his chance.

Yet an injury can’t be his only chance to start games for the Browns.