Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a rocky first season in the NFL.
To recap:
- Erroneously believed to be a first-round selection, Sanders fell into the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
- Sanders had to wait until Week 12 to make his first start.
- That start marked the first time in NFL history that a quarterback was tasked with starting a game despite having never taken a first-team snap in training camp or the preseason.*
- In seven starts, posted a QBR that would have ranked him last in the league among qualified players.
- Because he was not selected until the fifth round, Sanders’ rookie contract included just $447,380 in guaranteed dollars, according to spotrac.com.
While the on-field product was not what some were hoping for, Sanders more than made up for it off the field, thanks to his dedicated following and engaging personality.
How well did he do, you may
be wondering? Well, according to Front Office Sports, Sanders pocketed $17.7 million in licensing income, which put him at No. 1 on the list and broke Tom Brady’s record of $9.5 million, which he set in the 2021-22 season.
And that $17.7 million? It may actually be less than what Sanders earned, according to Front Office Sports:
Sanders is listed under the name of his limited liability corporation, SS2Legendary, which is also his Instagram handle. By comparison, in the 2024-2025 NFL season, J.J. McCarthy led all players with $4 million through his LLC Newberry Raised.
Group licensing encompasses deals that include six or more players, the most typical of which are jerseys, trading cards, video games, and other collectibles. In addition to royalties, the NFLPA figures also include player marketing income from appearances and hospitality promotions.
Group licensing does not include individual deals like Sanders has with Gatorade, Delta Airlines, Beats by Dre, and Ralph Lauren. Taking into account his personal endorsement deals, Sanders likely pulled in well north of $20 million in off-the-field earnings, an incredible sum for a rookie fifth-round pick but perhaps not that surprising given his celebrity and the media attention showered on him.
Sanders will enter training camp this fall challenging veteran Deshaun Watson for the starter’s role. If he can win the job and be part of turning the Browns into a consistent winner, there is no telling how much he can make off the field, given his popularity and the dedication that Browns fans have for the team.
*This may not be an actual fact. But there were far too many people acting like it at the time.
