Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut turned sour after his Cleveland home was burglarized during Sunday’s Browns game.

PublishedNovember 17, 2025 7:59 PM EST•UpdatedNovember 17, 2025 7:45 PM EST

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had his residence broken into during Sunday’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens in another surprising but familiar case of an athlete being targeted by burglars.

As confirmed by Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Sanders suffered the break-in on the same day he made his first appearance as QB1 after starter Dillon Gabriel sustained a concussion.

The 23-year-old joins a growing list of high-profile athletes hit by burglaries, including Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

(Shedeur Sanders suffers home break-in at Cleveland residence (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images))

An FBI investigation into the nationwide trend of athletes being targeted has pointed to a possible operation involving Chilean nationals. FBI officials have warned athletes not to post their locations on social media, noting that many break-ins occurred while players were traveling for away games.

For Sanders, the break-in happened during a home game, defying that trend, but it reinforced the idea that athletes in the national spotlight remain vulnerable.

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 16: Quarterback Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns passes during the fourth quarter of the NFL 2025 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field on November 16, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ravens defeated the Browns 23-16. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Sanders endured a day to forget on and off the field, completing 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards with an interception. The rookie appeared thrilled after his first taste of the pro game, though he later received the troubling news of the break-in. Sanders has since issued a statement on the incident.

"I don’t think I played good," Sanders said. "I don’t think I played good at all. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and get comfortable with, even throwing routes with [wide receiver] Jerry [Jeudy] and all those guys. I think that was my first ball to him all year. But overall, we just have to go into next week understanding what we need to prepare and focus on the things I like to do."

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 16: Quarterback Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns runs onto the field before the NFL 2025 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field on November 16, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ravens defeated the Browns 23-16. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Browns fans were excited to see Sanders take the field after a chaotic offseason that featured a tug-of-war at QB1 until veteran Joe Flacco arrived. The Browns eventually benched Flacco and, in a puzzling move, traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals, strengthening a divisional rival while leaving Cleveland to decide between Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders for the starting job.

Gabriel earned a strong vote of confidence from head coach Kevin Stefanski and secured the starting role. He exited Sunday’s game against Baltimore after completing 7 of 10 passes for 68 yards.

There’s a good chance Sanders could get another opportunity to start this week as Gabriel works his way through the concussion protocol. 

This time, there will likely be heightened security at Chateau Sanders.

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