Shedeur Sanders slipped to the Browns in Round 5 of the NFL Draft, and it just so happens the 49ers play in Cleveland this season.
Unless you were living under a rock, you're fully aware the No. 1 story from the 2025 NFL Draft was how Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders not only slipped all the way out of Round 1 but way deep into the fifth round on day three.
The Cleveland Browns could have had Sanders early in the first round but passed on him, not once but twice. Then, the Browns passed again and again. So did the other 31 teams, again and again.
At least until Round 5 when Cleveland jumped over the Philadelphia Eagles to take Sanders at No. 144 overall, ending the oh-so high-profile wait.
The San Francisco 49ers, of course, had little reason to target Sanders, at least not with Brock Purdy under center and awaiting what'll be a lucrative extension. And the Niners don't even need a backup after inking another former first-round draftee, Mac Jones, as a free agent during the offseason.
That said, there's a potential storyline to watch between San Francisco, Sanders and the Browns.
49ers will face Shedeur Sanders, Browns on 2025 schedule
The full 2025 schedule won't be released until later this spring, but we already know the 49ers' list of opponents for the upcoming season.
Among them are the Browns in what'll be a road game for the Niners.
Now, it's anyone's guess where Sanders will be on Cleveland's depth chart, and that'll be influenced by exactly when a 49ers-Browns game is scheduled. If it's early in the year, there's a good likelihood Sanders is on the bench behind older veterans like Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett or even Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, selected much earlier than Sanders in Round 3.
This list doesn't even include the embattled Deshaun Watson, whose off-field allegations and Achilles injuries cloud his future.
That said, Sanders is likely to be given an opportunity to seize the QB1 role when considering his pedigree, and that puts him on the map as the Browns' potential starter when they host San Francisco at some point in 2025.
It'll be interesting to watch.