How J.J. McCarthy Trade Benefits Shedeur Sanders Future With Browns

The New York Giants traded for J.J. McCarthy on Monday, which means Shedeur Sanders will likely remain in Cleveland this season.

Sep 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) warms up prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Browns are riding high after beating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field for their second consecutive win. They also received good news on Monday about quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Some speculated that the Browns might trade Sanders to the Giants, especially since New York lost its starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart, to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. However, Sanders doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

The Minnesota Vikings traded their third-year quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, to the Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick. New York is still expected to start Jameis Winston, but McCarthy will now be his backup unless head coach John Harbaugh makes changes during the season.

Since the Giants traded for McCarthy, all the speculation about Sanders heading to New York is now over.

Although Sanders will stick with the Browns, it doesn't guarantee he will have a real chance to play this season.

Deshaun Watson is starting to put together winning performances

Sanders battled with Deshaun Watson all of training camp for the No. 1 starting quarterback job, and Watson beat him out for it.

It didn’t feel like Watson would have a long leash after the Week 1 loss to the Jaguars in Jacksonville, where he threw for 205 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 34-10 defeat. But Week 2 was a different story. Watson led the Browns to a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and followed it up with another victory against the Panthers. It now seems likely that he will keep the starting job for some time.

Watson even spoke highly of the fans after the win over the Panthers, even though the two sides had their fair share of battles over the last five seasons.

"From the moment I woke up, the anticipation, the anxiousness, just to get in front of the fans, to get here, to get started," Watson said. "The energy, the fans, it was amazing. They kept believing in us, and they kept the energy up. Overall, we didn't give up. We fed on that energy."

The Browns will turn around this week to face the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on "Thursday Night Football". If the Browns pull out a win, they will be 3-1 heading into Week 5, and at the top of the division, with a division win neither the Cincinnati Bengals nor the Baltimore Ravens have. However, both of those teams could also move to 3-1 in Week 4.