During a recent interview on Apple Music, Shedeur Sanders explained that he is actively making an effort to steer clear of negativity on social media.
Nevertheless, his Cleveland Browns teammate, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, is choosing to confront that negativity directly.
Jeudy recently challenged ESPN Cleveland’s X account for reposting a screen recording from Jeudy’s TikTok live that insinuated the receiver would prefer Deshaun Watson to start at quarterback for the Browns this upcoming NFL season instead of Sanders.
In the reposted screen recording, Jeudy is shown holding up four fingers—the same number Watson wears on his Browns jersey—while viewers in the live comments ask who he would want to start for the team.
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However, Jeudy insisted the clip was taken out of context.
“Yall cut the clip perfectly for that narrative,” Jeudy wrote on X. “Y’all can never get in between this shxt lol.”
“Lmao yall just be lying so much for what ??” Jeudy added.
It remains unclear exactly why Jeudy held up four fingers in the video, though that gesture corresponds to the number he wore at Alabama. Jeudy also continues to display the number in his X profile name, which could indicate he was signaling to himself rather than to Watson by showing the four fingers to his fans.
The Browns are stepping into a season under new head coach Todd Monken, who has yet to declare whether Watson or Sanders will start at quarterback.
Jeudy, for his part, says he intends to stay out of the debate.
“I don’t speak on decisions that aren’t mine to make,” Jeudy wrote on X. “I support my teammates/Brothers, I do my job, and control what I can control.
“Let’s stop creating narrative that aren’t there for likes and clicks. I bet this won’t go viral because it’s too positive/real for y’all (100 emoji).”
The current Browns quarterback room may be the most challenging to manage in the NFL.
In addition to navigating the star power of Sanders, who is eager to prove himself as a long-term option after finishing last season as Cleveland’s starter, Monken must also weigh what could be Watson’s final bid to revive his career and public image.
Watson, who is entering the final year of a $230 million contract he signed after being traded from the Houston Texans, has not played since 2024 when he tore his Achilles; he later re-injured his Achilles, costing him all of last season.
Beyond the medical absence, Watson’s stint with the Browns has also been marred by controversy due to more than 20 women accusing the quarterback of sexual harassment during his tenure with the Texans.
Most of the lawsuits filed against Watson were resolved by the summer of 2022, but they nevertheless forced the quarterback to serve an NFL suspension before he could take the field for Cleveland.
Monken now faces a decision: give Watson another opportunity to turn back the clock, or chart a fresh course with Sanders serving as the franchise’s future face.
“I think both quarterbacks have played well enough where we haven’t really been in pads, we haven’t played any games yet, haven’t really gotten to that point yet,” Monken said in June, per BrownsWire.
“Every day I kind of lean one way or the other…But I’m fired up on the quarterbacks. I just tell you, we got two starting-level quarterbacks, we really do.”
The Browns will open training camp on July 31.
