Shedeur Sanders reclaims his college number with Browns for 2026 season

Shedeur Sanders is making a jersey change heading into his sophomore NFL season, and he’s going back to his Colorado roots. 

Sanders, who wore No. 12 during his rookie season, will wear No. 2 next year for the Cleveland Browns. 

As the Browns made it official on social media, Sanders did so as well, writing “#2” on X to coincide with his squad. 

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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns stands for the national anthem prior to a NFL preseason 2025 game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 8, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images) (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)

The move comes after wide receiver DeAndre Carter, who wore the number for Cleveland last season, is no longer on the roster. Now that he has a year under his belt, Sanders can make the change. 

And he does so with his old college number, as Sanders wore No. 2 at Jackson State University before transferring to Colorado, as his father, Deion Sanders, took the head coach role with the Buffaloes. 

SHEDEUR SANDERS’ WILD 2025 BEGAN WITH DRAFT FALL, BUT IT’S ENDING WITH HOPE AFTER TUMULTUOUS TURNS

While he was wearing No. 12 last season, Sanders started the year in a depth role, as veteran Joe Flacco was Kevin Stefanski’s starting quarterback. But, when Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals following Joe Burrow’s injury, Dillon Gabriel, who was drafted two rounds before Sanders in a shocking NFL Draft for the Buffaloes product, took over the role. 

He would be Gabriel’s backup, but after the latter’s struggles and injury, it was Sanders’ time to step up. 

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders reacts on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Sanders won his first-ever start against the Las Vegas Raiders and went 3-4 across seven starts as he remained the starter for the remainder of the season. Since then, Stefanski was fired; head coach Todd Monken was hired, and the veteran coach who served as John Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens echoed what the Browns said heading into 2026 — there will be an open quarterback competition. 

Monken told NFL Network at the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix on Monday that the Browns haven’t “gotten that far yet” in terms of naming Sanders their starter heading into the team’s offseason program. 

Deshaun Watson, who has had a turbulent Browns tenure, is back in the fold, while Gabriel is back healthy heading into 2026. 

Sanders surely understands he’ll have to prove himself again with a new coaching staff in the building, as that’s ultimately the nature of the NFL except for a rare group of certified starters. 

Cleveland Browns’ Shedeur Sanders (12) and Teven Jenkins (74) celebrate a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland on Dec. 7, 2025.  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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But Sanders has a Pro Bowl under his belt already despite the small sample size on the NFL gridiron. He’s looking to build off the momentum of last season, but it’ll be a fresh start with a new number.  

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