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Shedeur Sanders may not have gotten the first-round pick money he was looking for in April 2025, but the Cleveland Browns quarterback still benefited from a different source.
Through endorsement deals from the NFL Players’ Association, Sanders earned $17.7 million in group licensing revenue for the 2025 season, according to Front Office Sports.
That money comes from all sales of jerseys, trading cards and other collectible purchases by fans, and it’s a record.
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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns celebrates a touchdown during the first half of an NFL preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 8, 2025. (David Jensen/Getty Images)
Sanders far surpassed legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who earned $9.5 million in 2021-22.
Sanders’ contract with the Browns is worth just over $1 million per season, signing a four-year rookie contract worth $4.647 million before taking the field in 2025. He is infamous in the NFL Draft because not only did he not go in the first round, but he had to wait until the third day when the Browns finally came calling.
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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 clearly showed up in terms of merchandise purchases and more.
Additionally, the report made sure to point out Sanders’ other endorsement deals he likely received upon entering pro football, bringing his total money from his rookie season to nearly $20 million, if not more.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders leaves 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 arrived in the NFL with a lot of hype and anticipation from football fans and pundits alike, to see if he could handle the most elite level of the sport.
However, he had to bide his time with the Browns, with veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco starting 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 one touchdown and one interception.
Stefanski announced that Sanders would be the team’s starter for the rest of the year, since Cleveland was out of the playoff race and they clearly wanted to see their rookie develop. He ultimately threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while owning a 3-4 record in seven starts.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks on from the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio on December 7, 2025. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)
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Now, as the hype continues for Sanders, he still has to fight for that starting job starting in 2026. Deshaun Watson is finally back healthy and he has split the Browns’ first-team reps in voluntary workouts under new head coach Todd Monken, who comes over from the Baltimore Ravens.
