Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has officially signed on the dotted line.
The Browns announced on Monday that Sanders has signed his four-year rookie deal that, of course, does not include a fifth-year option since he wasn’t a first-round pick.
This is where Sanders’ draft slide hurts him, as he would’ve made more money had he been selected higher. His first NFL contract will only be for a total of $4.6 million and includes a guaranteed signing bonus of $447,380, per Spotrac.
As you’d expect with a late-round pick, Sanders’ cap hits are minimal.
Shedeur Sanders contract details
- Full value: 4 years, $4.6 million
- Signing bonus: $447,380 (guaranteed)
- 2025 cap hit: $951,845
- 2026 cap hit: $1,116,845
- 2027 cap hit: $1,231,845
- 2028 cap hit: $1,346,845
If Sanders pans out and eventually earns a starting role, this tiny contract will be one of the biggest bargains in the entire NFL.
Will Shedeur Sanders start in 2025?
With his contract out of the way, Sanders will now look to move his way up the depth chart over the course of the rest of the regular season. Of course, the best-case scenario for him is to do enough to garner a starting role.
That will be extremely difficult, as the Colorado Buffaloes football legend figures to have three quarterbacks in front of him in Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, who was drafted two rounds higher than Sanders.
That crowded situation also leaves the door open for Sanders to not even make the team’s 53-man roster. Cleveland is highly unlikely to carry four quarterbacks and if Sanders doesn’t show enough, he could be the odd-man out.
However, if Sanders and Gabriel both show enough promise, it’s very possible we’ll see either Pickett or Flacco cut loose via trade instead.
All of this sets up for a very interesting offseason for Cleveland.
