Shedeur Sanders gifted his new Cleveland Browns head coach an intriguing gift for his birthday ahead of the new season after meeting him for the first time this past month
07:07 ET, 27 Feb 2026
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders smiles at the Pro Bowl
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Shedeur Sanders will compete for the Browns' starting quarterback job in 2026(Image: Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Shedeur Sanders sent Todd Monken a bizarre gift on his birthday this past month after meeting the new Cleveland Browns head coach for the first time.
Monken was hired as the Browns' head coach after leaving the Baltimore Ravens, where he was the offensive coordinator and play caller for Lamar Jackson during the quarterback's MVP-caliber seasons. The Browns went through a lengthy coaching search before eventually landing Monken, reportedly after several candidates withdrew from contention.
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Sanders was in the Browns' facilities when Monken had his introductory press conference to meet his new head coach, before sending him a porcelain horse head for his birthday.
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Speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Monken said: "I've talked to [Sanders] three times, I think, he's come in to see me. In fact, for my birthday, I got this package. Like, all of a sudden, Feb. 5, this package comes.
"I thought it was from my wife... Open it up, it's this porcelain horse head. And it's from Shedeur. He sent me a gift on my birthday.
"And I asked him, 'What was the meaning?' And he said, 'Well, I just really liked it. I got myself one.' I said, 'Well, great. Awesome.'"
Todd Monken speaking to the media after being unveiled as head coach of the Cleveland Browns
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Todd Monken speaking to the media after being unveiled as head coach of the Cleveland Browns(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Sanders is hoping to become Monken's starting quarterback heading into the 2026 offseason, with the team set to have Deshaun Watson back for one more year.
Sanders will also be competing against Dillon Gabriel, who the Browns selected with a third-round pick in last year's draft, as well as a potential new quarterback selected in the upcoming class.
Speaking on the quarterback position, Monken has insinuated that neither Sanders nor Gabriel has done enough to earn the starting spot as of yet, while keeping Watson's hopes of winning the job alive.
He said: "I don't think there's enough of a sample size recently with any of our candidates to be our starting quarterback, be it Dillon, Deshaun or Shedeur, that you can say, 'That's our starter.' You just can't.
"There were times in the back half of the year where you said, 'Boy, Shedeur Sanders looks like a starting NFL quarterback.' And you can go as far back as just a year ago or maybe two years ago, where you said, 'Boy, there's signs that Deshaun Watson is really playing at an elite level.' And then Dillon, who did it at three different colleges ... there's a lot to work with there."
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Being asked about meeting Monken for the first time, Sanders said during the Pro Bowl: "I am not going to tell you what I told him, but it's all good.
"He's cool... I'm excited. Truthfully, excited and ready to work. I went back home to go see him and then came back out. I'll catch him again very soon."
Cleveland has been linked with quarterbacks Ty Simpson and Garrett Nussmeier heading into the draft, with the Browns expected to use one of their picks on a player at the position.