Stephen A. Smith (left) Shedeur Sanders (right)
“Stick To Basketball” “Looking For Attention”: NFL Fans Mock Stephen A. Smith Over Floating Shedeur Sanders Trade To Giants 1
Veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith suggested on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday that the New York Giants trade for Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders following Jaxson Dart’s season-ending knee injury.
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Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Stephen A. Smith looks on before the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Dart’s injury leaves Winston, who holds a 36-53 career record as a starter, as the Giants’ primary option. While Giants coach John Harbaugh said all options remain open at quarterback, Smith urged New York to target Sanders.
“Let me tell you something right now,” Smith said. “If there was a possible way where they could put it, I would tell the Giants to go and pursue Shedeur Sanders. I ain’t going to lie to you. That would be what was on my mind personally.
“Let me tell you something about this whole Jameis Winston situation,” he added. “They signed to a $13 million extension… It ain’t about looking for a top 30 quarterback. It’s about looking for a better backup than Jameis Winston. Could you find that? That’s the real question. Can you pull that off if you’re the New York Giants because that’s what you’re looking for right now. The reality is that again a lot of mistakes happen. We know who he is unfortunately in terms of the mistake is imminent.”
Football Fans Laugh At Stephen A. Smith
The proposal drew social media criticism from fans questioning Sanders’ track record compared to current backup Jameis Winston.
“🤣🤡 stick to basketball 🤡,” an X user wrote.
SaS is looking for attention.
— jtheh (@12ekud) September 24, 2026
“SaS is looking for attention,” another commented.
“Shedeur is not better than Jamies Winston ROFL Dear God these takes are atrocious,” another commented.
“This martian headed mor*n doesn’t know shedeur can’t beat out the fondler?” one fan wrote in comments.
“Imagine what the phone call sounded like when Deion [Sanders] called SaS to pump up this bullsh*t,” one commented.
“STFU! The overreaction is off the charts,” one reacted.
Sanders started seven games for the Cleveland Browns last season, posting a 3-4 record while completing 56 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. This year, Sanders has yet to start for the Browns, with Deshaun Watson being the QB1 choice for head coach Todd Monken.
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