Shedule Sanders Named Pro Bowl Alternate for 2026

Shedule Sanders has been selected as an alternate for the 2026 Pro Bowl, and honestly, it’s one of those surprising yet amusing moments in a season that many view as pretty meaningless. Factors like injuries, general disinterest, and a lack of standout quarterbacks in the AFC played into his selection. Yet it’s hard to argue—Sanders has arguably been the least impressive QB to ever participate in a Pro Bowl.

The AFC squad will be led by Josh Allen, with Justin Herbert and Drake Maye backing him up. Since the Patriots are competing in the Super Bowl, Sanders will step in for Maye. So, starting in 2025, we’ll be looking at quarterbacks who bring certain stats to the All-Star Game.

This isn’t about bashing Sanders outright; it’s just how things are. Rookies can have tough starts, and some eventually turn their careers around. But honestly, placing him on a Pro Bowl roster seems unwise. There are several quarterbacks in the AFC who performed better than he did this season, and they were healthy too—although, they didn’t have the stats that might suggest they’d perform better overall.

There are nine fully healthy quarterbacks who arguably deserve a Pro Bowl spot more than Sanders. It could be that those nine opted out of NFL offers, but that feels a bit far-fetched. It raises the question of whether Sanders was chosen for marketing reasons rather than pure talent. He’s attracted a lot of attention, perhaps more than anyone else mentioned, aside from Joe Burrow.

If we consider where Sanders stands among the less-than-stellar quarterbacks in Pro Bowl history, it becomes a heavy discussion. Since the Pro Bowl began in 1951, he’s ranked 15th all time for the lowest quarterback rating among those drafted to the roster. However, we must keep in mind how much the NFL has transformed over the years; those numbers might not be entirely fair. Back in the mid-1960s, leading quarterbacks finished with passer ratings often in the low to mid-80s—just the nature of the game then.

Jumping to 1990 provides a clearer picture of how this fits into the modern era. Looking at the lowest-rated Pro Bowl QBs from different decades, we see:

• 1990s: Brett Favre (1993) — 72.2 rating
• 2000s: Vince Young (2006) — 66.7 rating
• 2010s: Andrew Luck (2012) — 76.5 rating
• 2020s: Shedur Sanders (2025) — 68.1 rating

This suggests that Vince Young is the only other quarterback as poor as Sanders to be selected to the Pro Bowl. Yet, Young’s rookie year in 2006 was impressive; he accumulated over 500 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Comparatively, while Sanders has 19 touchdowns and 13 turnovers, Young finished his rookie season with eight touchdowns and 10 turnovers—a different context altogether.

Considering their roles and impacts within the league during their respective times, quarterbacks are undeniably influential. All said, Shedule Sanders may indeed be the worst quarterback to ever grace the Pro Bowl stage.