In one of the biggest surprises this year, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl, being selected instead of big names like Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence, as well as fellow rookie Cam Ward.
This certainly raised some eyebrows as Sanders only played for eight games and before he became the starter, he was just the third-string quarterback who then-head coach Kevin Stefanski never thought of playing.
The fifth-round pick was never originally picked to be an AFC quarterback for the 2026 Pro Bowl, which was originally supposed to go to New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
He had okay stats, throwing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 56.6% completion percentage and a 68.1 passer rating. This is considered one of the lowest stats for a quarterback ever selected to play in the Pro Bowl.
This then begs the question of why he was selected over the likes of Cam Ward or Joe Burrow. For the fan vote, he was not originally named an alternate but was added to replace Trevor Lawrence even though he did not finish in the top 10 in the voting.
So if not the fan voting, how did he make it to the team? The answer is several big-name AFC quarterbacks such as Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes went down with injuries, thus forcing the NFL to add in more alternates, but that still does not explain how Sanders was picked ahead of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers.
While this is not confirmed, there may have been some alternates who might have declined the offer to play. Players declining are usually not made public.
Those participating in the Pro Bowl are chosen by fans, coaches and players, with each group getting one-third of the tally. With Sanders not being chosen by fans, it might have been thanks to coaches and players, who had until Dec. 19 to cast their ballots.
When Will the Pro Bowl Happen?
The Pro Bowl will take place on the Tuesday before the Super Bowl, on Feb. 3, at Moscone Center in San Francisco.
ESPN, ABC and Disney XD will broadcast the game, while Fubo and the ESPN app will stream it live.
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