Sanders’ Odds to Be Browns Starting QB + OROY Futures After Speeding Ticket

• Shedeur Sanders was cited for driving 101 mph in a 60 mph zone on I-71 early Tuesday morning
• The Browns rookie sits at +700 to start Week 1, but Joe Flacco remains the heavy favorite at -150
• Below, see if Sanders is a good bet to win either the Browns’ starting QB job or NFL OROY award

Shedeur Sanders can’t seem to slow down—literally. The Cleveland Browns’ fifth-round pick was clocked at 101 mph in a 60 mph zone on I-71 near Strongsville early Tuesday morning. The 23-year-old earned himself a $250 speeding citation while driving a 2025 Dodge pickup with Colorado plates.

The timing stinks for Sanders, who’s been building momentum in Cleveland’s quarterback room. But here’s the reality: this won’t impact his chances of eventually starting for the Browns. The betting markets haven’t moved, and there’s good reason for that.

Browns Starting QB Odds (Week 1)

Joe Flacco has emerged as the clear favorite at -150. Kenny Pickett trails at +240, while Sanders sits at +700 alongside fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

The Browns starting QB market is currently offline at most books, but these were the last available odds from bet365.

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Flacco: The Safe Week 1 Choice

The Browns aggressively pursued Flacco in free agency for a reason. His familiarity with Kevin Stefanski’s system paid dividends in 2023 when he went 4-1 as Cleveland’s starter and led them to the playoffs.

Cleveland’s brutal early schedule makes this decision easy. The Browns face the Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Steelers in their first six games. You don’t throw a rookie into that meat grinder.

Pickett brings Super Bowl experience from Philadelphia, but his career 13-13 TD-INT ratio screams backup. Fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel processes information “like a computer” according to scouts, yet Cleveland still waited until Round 3 to draft him.

Sanders Will Get His Shot—Eventually

Despite the speeding ticket headlines, Sanders has impressed during OTAs and minicamp. He completed 77.4% of his passes (41-for-53) for nine touchdowns and one interception in five open media practices. Sure, it came against backups, but the accuracy caught everyone’s attention.

Browns star Myles Garrett praised Sanders’ work ethic, noting “everyone was surprised” he fell to the fifth round. The kid’s college numbers back it up: 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and just 10 picks while completing 74.0% of his passes at Colorado.

Here’s my prediction: Flacco starts the season, struggles against that gauntlet schedule, and Sanders takes over around Week 8. Cleveland owns two first-round picks in 2026, so they need to evaluate their rookie investments before another draft.

Shedeur Sanders OROY Odds

Sanders maintains +2200 odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year. He’s drawing massive public support with 23.5% of the handle and 10.5% of tickets at BetMGM, both highest among OROY candidates. Unlike the Browns QB market, these OROY odds are currently available across major sportsbooks.

2025 OROY Odds Leaders

Those betting percentages should sound familiar. The public went all-in on Sanders to win the Heisman at Colorado, too. We all know how that panned out.

If Sanders doesn’t start until midseason, he’ll have maybe 8-10 games to impress voters. That’s not enough runway for a fifth-round pick to beat out guys like Ashton Jeanty and Cam Ward, who’ll be featured from Day 1.

Remember, only one quarterback selected in the fifth round or later has won OROY in the past 15 years (Dak Prescott in 2016). Prescott started all 16 games that season. Sanders won’t have that luxury.

Best Shedeur Sanders Bets

The speeding ticket changes nothing. Sanders was cooperative with police and will pay his $250 fine. The Browns haven’t commented publicly because it’s a non-issue.

What matters is the quarterback room dynamics. Sanders has the talent to eventually start, but the timeline doesn’t favor an OROY run. Hold off on betting him for that award since you’re essentially betting on Flacco getting hurt or benched by Week 4.

The smarter play? Wait for Sanders’ midseason takeover, then hammer his 2026 season props. By then, he’ll have a full offseason as the starter and better weapons around him.

• Browns Week 1 Starter: Joe Flacco (-150) – Lock it in, but expect a change by November
• Pass on Sanders OROY (+2200) – Not enough games to compete with full-time starters