BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns just dropped the first viral clip of the 2026 offseason, and it’s a bombshell. In a candid “fly on the wall” video released Friday, newly hired head coach Todd Monken was caught on a hot mic admitting to quarterback Shedeur Sanders that his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, tried to snag him in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Confession: “We Tried to Draft Your Ass”
The video, captioned simply “it all worked out,” captures the first face-to-face meeting between the new skipper and his franchise quarterback. As the two shook hands in the facility, Monken—who served as the Ravens’ Offensive Coordinator last season—didn’t hold back.
“We tried to draft your ass last year for God’s sake,” Monken tells a laughing Sanders. “It all worked out. You remember that, right? Someday we’ll get a chance to talk about that.”
The clip confirms long-standing rumors that the Ravens had a serious interest in Sanders before he ultimately fell to Cleveland in the fifth round of the 2025 Draft. Reports at the time suggested the Sanders camp may have actively discouraged certain teams from selecting him, a strategy that Deion Sanders later hinted at.
“I told them [Baltimore]… nah, that ain’t the spot. I knew where I needed to be.” — Shedeur Sanders (Flashback to ‘The Pivot’ Interview, 2025)
Why This Matters for 2026
This interaction sets a massive tone for the Browns’ upcoming campaign. Monken isn’t just a new hire; he’s a coach who wanted Sanders before he even had the job. That level of buy-in is rare.
Sanders took over the starting role halfway through the 2025 season and showed flashes of brilliance. Now, paired with an offensive mind who has been coveting his skillset for over a year, the Browns’ offense is poised to pivot from “survival mode” to “attack mode.”
The AFC North rivalry just got a little spicier. Monken knows the Ravens’ secrets, and he’s got the QB they missed out on.
