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Shedeur Sanders may not have gotten the first-round money he sought in April 2025, but the Cleveland Browns quarterback still cashed in on another source.
Thanks to NFL Players’ Association endorsement deals, Sanders earned $17.7 million in group licensing revenue for the 2025 season, per Front Office Sports.
This money comes from all the sales of jerseys, trading cards and other collectibles that fans buy, and it’s a record-breaker.
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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns celebrates a touchdown in the first half of an NFL preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on August 8, 2025. (David Jensen/Getty Images)
Sanders surpassed legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who earned $9.5 million in 2021-2022, by a considerable amount.
Sanders’ Browns contract is just over $1 million per year. season, which carries a four-year, $4.647 million rookie deal before taking the field in 2025. He fell into infamy in dramatic fashion during the NFL Draft when he not only didn’t go in the first round, but had to wait until Day 3 when the Browns finally called.
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Cleveland had also drafted Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, another Heisman Trophy finalist, ahead of Sanders in the third round.
But Sanders’ fans were plentiful, and they showed clearly in terms of merchandise purchases and then some.
The report also made sure to point out Sanders’ other endorsement deals he likely received when he entered pro football, bringing his rookie season total close to, if not over, $20 million.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders walks off the field after the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 4, 2026 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Sanders entered the NFL with plenty of hype and anticipation from football fans and pundits alike to see if he could handle the most elite level in the sport.
However, he had to wait for his time with the Browns, where veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco started for now-former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s team at the start of the 2025 campaign.
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Sanders finally got his first start for the Browns on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12, helping them to a 24-10 victory. He went 11-of-20 for 209 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Stefanski announced that Sanders would be the team’s starter for the rest of the year as Cleveland was out of the playoff hunt and they clearly wanted to see their rookie develop. He ultimately threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions while posting a 3-4 record over seven starts.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders watches from the sideline late in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Dec. 7, 2025. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)
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Now, while the hype continues for Sanders, he still has to fight for the starting job going into 2026. Deshaun Watson is finally healthy again, and he’s been splitting first-team reps for the Browns in voluntary workouts under new head coach Todd Monken, who is coming over from the Baltimore Ravens.
