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Cam Newton Says Kevin Stefanski's Shedeur Sanders Decision Is 'Fireable Offense'

Sanders was not on field for crucial two-point conversion.

Kyle Koster

Shedeur Sanders not being on the field for pivotal moment raised eyebrows.
Shedeur Sanders not being on the field for pivotal moment raised eyebrows. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Shedeur Sanders was impressive for the Browns on Sunday, throwing for 364 yards and three touchdowns. But he was nowhere to be found on the field as the Browns attempted a potential game-tying two-point conversion with 1:03 left in regulation. Instead, Kevin Stefanski's coaching staff cooked up a play in which running back Quinshon Judkins took a direct snap—which didn't work and ended up sealing a 31-29 defeat.

Naturally this was a controversial choice for Stefanski, who despite having two Coach of the Year honors on his mantle, has been the target of much criticism when it comes to the handling of Sanders.

Stefanski put the call on his shoulders in the postgame and Sanders said the right things. Cleveland wakes up at 3-10 this morning instead of 4-9, so it's not like some great opportunity was squandered. But that hasn't stopped one high-profile pundit for putting his coaching job in jeopardy.

"Extremely embarrassing, and it's a fireable offense if you ask me," Cam Newton said on Monday's First Take.

This is the Shedeur Sanders difference. There are very few quarterbacks of 3-10 teams in the history of the sport that could spark this type of opinion. For better or worse.

The good news for the Browns is that Sanders continues to put out encouraging signs. They'll have to figure out the long-term plan over the offseason and they'll face a ton of eyeballs while they do it.

For what it's worth, Sanders himself failed on his own two-point conversion chance just a few minutes before the final one in question.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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