It’s official.
Shedeur Sanders is a Cleveland Brown. The fifth-round quarterback signed his rookie contract on Monday that’s valued at four years and $4.6 million. The Browns announced the signing on Monday.
There’s little room for negotiation for Sanders or any other rookie in the NFL. Per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, rookie contracts are fixed on a scale based on where players are selected. Sanders’ slot as the 144th pick in the fifth round dictates his four-year, $4.6 million contract.
Per Spotrac, the contract comes with a $446,553 signing bonus that’s also dictated by Sanders’ draft slot.
Will Sanders compete for the No. 1 job?
Signing the deal ensures that Sanders will compete for a roster spot and potentially a starting position on a Browns teams with several quarterbacks on the depth chart, but no clear No. 1.
Sanders was initially projected by many as a first-round pick out of Colorado before pre-draft reports and evaluations indicated that he would not be selected that high. But his fall to the fifth round was stunning, nonetheless.
His total $4.6 million rookie contract is less than his reported name, image and likeness valuation while at Colorado, according to on3.
Shedeur Sanders’ rookie NFL contract compared to his NIL deal at Colorado 😳
(via on3) pic.twitter.com/iHBQQ1rKEo
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 19, 2025
Sanders wasn’t even the first quarterback selected by the Browns. That honor belongs to former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, whom the Browns selected in the third round. Gabriel has yet to sign his rookie contract. Sanders is the fourth of seven Browns rookies to sign their contracts, joining second-round pick Carson Schwesinger (LB), third-round pick Harold Fannin Jr. (TE) and fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson (RB).
Like Gabriel, first-round pick Mason Graham (DT) and second-round pick Quinshon Judkins (RB) have yet to sign.
Sanders is one of five quarterbacks on Cleveland’s roster in addition to Gabriel. The Browns also have veterans Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on the roster. For various reasons including injury, age and performance, neither of the veterans are ensured a spot atop the depth chart.
Watson, whose controversial tenure with Cleveland had already tanked due to poor performance, isn’t expected to be available due to a second rupture of his right Achilles tendon.
So there’s opportunity in Cleveland for Sanders and each of Cleveland’s quarterbacks not named Watson. And now Sanders has an NFL paycheck as he seeks to carve out his role in the league and a spot on Cleveland’s roster.
