Shedeur Sanders is the Godfather of Browns gift-giving.
The quarterback — one of a trio of potential starters on the Cleveland roster — sent a rather unique gift to new coach Todd Monken for his birthday, and it’s certainly left an impression.
“I’ve talked to [Sanders] three times, I think, he’s come in to see me,” Monken told CBS Sports from the NFL combine this week. “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.’”
Is it a sign of Sanders’ impending Michael Corleone-esque rise above fellow QB hopefuls Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel on the Browns’ depth chart?
No word on that yet, but Watson and Gabriel will come face-to-face with the porcelain horse head — a la Jack Woltz — when they meet in Monken’s office.
“I put it between all the Cleveland helmets and put it up there for [Sanders] to see when he comes in the office,” the coach said of the gift.
Monken, who revealed in Indianapolis just how close he’d been to joining John Harbaugh’s first Giants staff before getting the Browns job, was asked about the three quarterbacks he’s inherited and plans for an open competition.
What he’s seen so far of Sanders, he’s liked.
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability,” Monken told reporters Wednesday. “That’s in him. You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it, you saw it in college, you saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? What first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go? I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
Sanders, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, went 3-4 in his first season with the Browns, throwing seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions after taking over as the starter in Week 12.
Gabriel, a fellow rookie selected two rounds ahead of Sanders, was 1-5 with seven TDs and two interceptions.
Watson is the most experienced of the three, but will enter the 2026 season in the fifth and final year of a $230 million deal that’s been an unmitigated disaster for the Browns. He’s started just 19 games during his tenure, missing all of last season with an Achilles injury, accounting for 19 passing touchdowns and 12 INTs.
