With Shedeur Sanders becoming the Cleveland Browns’ 42nd different starting quarterback for the franchise since its 1999 rebirth, Sunday’s game on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders is now must-watch T.V., despite the team’s combined 4-16 record.
Count future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski -- now a studio analyst for Fox Sports -- among those who will be following the matchup very closely. During a recent appearance on “The Up and Adams Show,” Gronkowski told host Kay Adams, “I’ve been waiting for Shedeur Sanders to have his opportunity in the NFL.”
Gronkowski not only revealed he sees Sanders winning on Sunday, but also doing enough to stay as the Browns’ starter. While acknowledging that Shanders’ first NFL live game reps weren’t great, he believes a week to prepare him will make a huge difference for the Colorado product.
“Last week was a disaster. What did he go? Four for 16 for like 40 yards. But, I mean, it was already a disaster of a game.
Gronk expects Shedeur Sanders to get a win in his first career start and take over as the Browns QB1 👀@RobGronkowski | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/cunxL5PhOT
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) November 19, 2025
“Now he’s got a week to prepare. He has a week to get the knowledge of the playbook, of the plays that they’re gonna run and design for him as well. Because, he’s a quarterback where you gotta design plays for him, because he’s got that type of talent. He can run the ball as well, because he’s got that athleticism. So, this is the week where we can judge his performance.”
Once Adams told Gronkowski who Sanders and the rest of the Browns were facing for the upcoming game, his face quickly lit up.
“You can’t ask for a better opportunity to have your first career start. And he’s going against the Raiders who are possibly one of the worst -- not possibly, they are one of the worst teams in the NFL right now Kay.”
Gronk then proceeded to make his bold two-part prediction for the game.
“So, I think he gets a win, and I think he stays consistent and I think he remains the starting quarterback [for] the Cleveland Browns. I think it's gonna happen. I mean, I’ve been saying the whole time, ‘Shedeur, just stay ready, because that opportunity will come. You don’t know when it's gonna come.’ Yeah, he didn’t show out last week, but now he can prepare. I think this is the week that he comes out and he balls and stays the starter.”
If Sanders were to win his first NFL start as a member of the Browns, he would be breaking a 26-year old curse in the process. Quarterbacks drafted by Cleveland are 0-17 in their first regular season starts since 1999.
Whether or not Sanders proves he can make a difference for the Browns remains to be seen. However, Gronk is right when he states that just seeing someone different than Gabriel under center should spark a lot of interest in the game.
“I’m excited for it. The NFL fans, I’m sure the Shedeur fans are excited for it. So this is gonna be good for the NFL, it’s good for the Browns right now, because they need some excitement around them, and Shedeur is gonna bring it for sure.”