It's not a hard argument to convince fans the Pro Bowl is a joke.
But the NFL's latest decision to add Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders to the 2026 Pro Bowl roster as an alternate only serves to add more fuel to that argument.
Yes, Sanders is off to the NFL's all-star game now after his tumultuous entry into the league last April and controversial insertion into Cleveland's QB1 role.
Sources: #Browns QB Shedeur Sanders has been added to the Pro Bowl roster as a replacement.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 26, 2026
Sanders is the first 5th-round rookie to make a Pro Bowl since Puka Nacua. pic.twitter.com/RTDy0J9l1f
Of course, the San Francisco 49ers got to face Sanders and the Browns during the regular season, ultimately pulling off a 26-8 victory in which the rookie signal-caller was wholly outclassed by the Niners' own, Brock Purdy.
And yet, Purdy will be off doing other things while Sanders partakes in Pro Bowl festivities ahead of the Super Bowl.
Sure seems like an injustice, right?
Brock Purdy is more deserving of a Pro Bowl nod than Shedeur Sanders
No disrespect to Sanders. His career is still unfolding.
And, let's also acknowledge Purdy, a one-time Pro Bowler already, couldn't have actually been named over Sanders as a replacement because, well... they're in two entirely different conferences. As long as the AFC faces the NFC in the all-star game, it wouldn't happen.
Still, it doesn't change the argument Purdy is more deserving.
Let's have a side-by-side comparison, shall we?
True, Purdy was hurt for much of the year and missed eight games, but he still started nine, one more than Sanders' seven. So, that's a moot point. Even if it wasn't, the Niners got red hot upon Purdy's return from injury anyway.
Team record
- Brock Purdy's 49ers: 7-2
- Shedeur Sanders' Browns: 3-4
Completion percentage
- Brock Purdy: 69.4
- Shedeur Sanders: 56.6
Touchdown-to-interception ratio
- Brock Purdy: 20-to-10
- Shedeur Sanders: 7-to-10
Passer rating
- Brock Purdy: 100.5
- Shedeur Sanders: 68.1
Rushing totals
- Brock Purdy: 147 yards (4.5 YPC), 3 TDs
- Sheduer Sanders: 169 yards (8.0 YPC), 1 TD
Aside from some modest superiority on the ground as a rusher, there's no world in which Sanders was better than Purdy.
And there are probably more than a handful of AFC teams' fanbases who are wondering the same thing why the Browns' rookie signal-caller ended up getting the Pro Bowl nod, even as an alternate, over their respective quarterbacks.
If anything, the selection only serves as yet another detriment to a declining special event on the league's calendar, de-legitimizing it even further.