Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ upcoming start won’t be a “trade showcase,” with Cleveland reportedly keen on retaining his talents for the foreseeable future.

On Friday, Browns head coach Todd Monken confirmed that Sanders will receive the starting nod for Cleveland’s Week 9 clash against the New Orleans Saints. No. 1 signal-caller Deshaun Watson self-reported concussion symptoms on Tuesday, with the team’s training staff promptly placing him in the protocol.

Sunday’s contest will mark Sanders’ first significant action of 2026, as the Colorado product has attempted just three passes this season while buried behind Watson on the Browns’ depth chart. Even if he were to impress against the Saints, however, it appears as though he’s not going anywhere.

Though several teams across the NFL are in desperate need of help under center, the Browns have no interest in parting ways with Sanders at the trade deadline.

Taking to social media, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote: “One thing to keep in mind: This is not a trade showcase. The Browns have no plans to deal Sanders at the deadline.”

While Sunday’s game may not be an opportunity for Sanders to showcase his skills for prospective suitors, Monken argued the outing could still have a massive impact on his future as an NFL starter.

“I’m fired up to see him play. I mean, who wouldn’t be?” Monken told reporters during Friday’s press conference. “It’s the expectation of the position, correct?

“This is what he’s wanted, right? He wants to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Let’s go. Let’s let it rip. Let’s see what we got, right?

“We’re not holding anything back. I mean, we’re going to try to get after it Sunday and see if we got him at quarterback, and the rest of us and the players got to play well around him.”

It remains to be seen what the Browns will do at quarterback in 2027 and beyond, with Watson’s five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract set to expire after this season. The 31-year-old has led Cleveland to a 5-3 record through eight weeks, but will undoubtedly need to take a massive pay cut if he’s to stick around.

Sanders, meanwhile, has been a mixed bag since being selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Over eight games last season — seven of which he started — he completed 120-of-212 passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while also rushing 21 times for another 169 yards and a score.

"He's very diligent and he likes to play football, has a natural confidence about him," Monken said of Sanders. "Just like any young player, they've got to play.

“But where he's improved is his footwork, his drops, his mechanics, understanding where to go with the ball, sense of urgency in terms of working through his progressions, protections. There were so many things he needed to work on, and he's done that like any young player.

“Any young player has a lot to work on, especially at the quarterback position. And you can see that from the moment we got here.”