Shedeur Sanders has been selected for the Pro Bowl. Here’s why

The Cleveland Browns have a Pro Bowl quarterback.

It’s a statement that hasn’t been true since 2008, when Derek Anderson got the nod to be part of the NFL’s all-star game.

Now, Shedeur Sanders is set to join that short list. The rookie quarterback has been selected as a replacement player for the AFC team in the 2026 Pro Bowl Games, per multiple reports. It was a move necessitated by a vacancy created by the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye, who will be playing in Super Bowl 60.

Sanders is part of an AFC quarterback group that includes the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, who could also require a replacement after getting surgery in December to repair a fracture in his hand.

The news sent shockwaves through the NFL world, given that the fifth-round rookie finished outside the top-10 in fan voting and wasn’t named as an alternate.

Here’s the reasoning behind Sanders’ Pro Bowl selection.

Why is Shedeur Sanders going to the Pro Bowl?

Sanders was selected as a replacement for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games.

The exact process for Sanders’ inclusion is not known, given that the league doesn’t reveal the process for selecting alternates beyond the initial list. Only four AFC quarterbacks ranked in the top-10 for fan voting – Allen, Maye, Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix.

That is what led to Herbert getting the nod for one of the three AFC spots. Maye’s spot was opened up after New England earned a spot in the Super Bowl. Mahomes and Nix are both out with injuries, forcing the league to move further down the list of AFC quarterbacks.

Even with those absences, there are still other signal callers in the conference that could be considered more deserving of the spot.

Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers are some of the bigger names that didn’t make the cut, but they could’ve turned down the opportunity if offered.

Regardless, the selection of Sanders remains shocking after his rookie season.

The quarterback was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and only started the final seven games of the season, leading his team to a 3-4 record. He completed just 56.6% of passes, tossing seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Sanders’ 68.1 passer rating is the 15th-lowest ever logged by a Pro Bowl quarterback since the Super Bowl era began in 1966, per Stathead. A total of 440 Pro Bowl quarterback selections have been made during that period to date, including Sanders.

When is the Pro Bowl 2026?

The 2026 Pro Bowl Games are slated for Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Where is the Pro Bowl 2026?

The 2026 Pro Bowl Games will be held at Moscone Center in San Francisco, just days before Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

It marks a change of venue, given that the Pro Bowl Games had been played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida each of the last two seasons, regardless of the Super Bowl site.

Pro Bowl selection process

The NFL Pro Bowl rosters are determined by votes from fans, coaches and players.

Each group’s votes count for one-third of the tally. Voting for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games opened on Nov. 27, 2025. Fan voting closed on Dec. 15, with ballots being worth double for the final two days. Coaches and players had until Dec. 19 to cast their ballots.

A total of 88 players, 44 from each conference, are selected for the event.