Shedeur Sanders’ slide at the 2025 NFL draft was the story of the offseason, turning what many expected to be a quick rise into an arduous process for Sanders. One year later, however, despite it being clear that Sanders was not popular with teams as a top pick, he was labelled as one by fans.
According to a Saturday report from Front Office Sports, Sanders earned $17.7 million in group licensing income in 2025, quadrupling J.J. McCarthy’s league-leading figure of $4 million in 2024.
“Shedeur Sanders earned a record $17.7 million in group licensing income last NFL season, according to the NFLPA’s annual report examined by FOS. By comparison, J.J. McCarthy led all players with $4 million in the prior season,” the report read.
Fans split into two camps, with plenty of negative and positive reactions.
“Enjoy it while you can. This is going to be Jaxson Dart’s year,” one posted.
“Damn Deion bought $15 million worth of Shadeur jerseys?!” another joked.
“I’ll never get the love for this guy lol,” one replied.
While there was plenty of negativity, there were also plenty of positive reactions.
“Well Damn! Happy for him!” one replied.
“Wow. Good for him,” another congratulated.
“Sanders a HUGE BRAND. Started with PRIME,” one added.
Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders, was seen as a first-round pick by most analysts before he slid into the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns drafted him. Many predicted him to be selected by Cleveland, albeit much earlier.
Shedeur Sanders’ Starting Status in Jeopardy in 2026
One year later, Shedeur Sanders has climbed to the top of the depth chart, but there are no guarantees of him staying put into the fall. Deshaun Watson has remained on the roster, and with Todd Monken on the team as a new head coach, the team could be in for a reset on offense with Monken’s vision.
The Browns also quietly added rookie quarterback Taylen Green in the sixth round of the 2026 draft, the first rookie added in the Monken era.
Put simply, Sanders will have plenty of reason to head into August with a sense of urgency to make a solid first impression on the new head coach. Otherwise, any of the other quarterbacks on the team could knock Sanders back to square one.
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