Shedeur Sanders is the most scrutinized quarterback in the NFL. The son of Deion Sanders was set up to fail by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Although it was likely an act of sheer incompetence, it gives some legitimacy to the conspiracy theory.
How is a rookie quarterback supposed to succeed in the NFL if his own team is setting him up to fail? Even if this wristband snafu was nothing more than a mistake!
Shedeur Sanders had the wrong wristband.
The Cleveland Browns very quickly fell behind 14-0 to the Chicago Bears on a freezing cold day in the Windy City. They could not get anything going on offense. Sanders finished the first half with just four completions for 54 yards on two attempts and nine yards rushing. He also took two sacks.
As it would turn out, there was some miscommunication between the coaching staff and its quarterback. Sanders was wearing the wrong play sheet on his wristband during the first few drives of the game.
Here is how it was reported by Fox:
"They removed his wristband and made some changes to the play calls."
— Jonathan Smith (@DegenerateTBone) December 14, 2025
The Browns gave Shedeur the wrong wristband??? pic.twitter.com/VUOxeQkyNC
That is a very nice way of saying “the Browns messed up.” Now it all makes sense.
Should have known when Shedeur called the Grand Slam breakfast with links on third down pic.twitter.com/1GYTMrCpEZ
— McNeil (@REFLOG18) December 14, 2025
A quarterback cannot properly run his offense when the play-caller is telling him to call plays that are either incorrect or do not exist. If Tommy Rees calls “Belly 14” and “Belly 14” is not on Shedeur Sanders’ wrist, he has to fly blind. Or the play is wrong and what Reese called is not what Sanders runs.
Are the Cleveland Browns trying to ruin him?
There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Shedeur Sanders is the most talked about quarterback in the NFL by nature of who he is. How things played out on Draft night did not help to quiet the chatter.
Some people still believe the former Jackson State and Colorado signal-caller is going to be an all-time great. That does not seem to be the case based on play on the field as a rookie thus far.
Sanders’ biggest supporters claim it is all a big conspiracy to make him fail. It started with the draft slide. It reached a fever pitch with a game ball controversy at the end of November. The latest example stems from a quarterback change at the goal line last weekend.
All of this before… and now he has the wrong wristband? The Cleveland Browns are either the most incompetent team in the league, which seems to be the case, or they are actively trying to lose games with Sanders at quarterback. Or both, I suppose.