Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft free fall wasn’t just about pride.
There was also a lot of money at stake depending on where the Colorado QB legend ended up being drafted.
He wound up at No. 144 overall to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.
With that selection, the Browns just agreed to a four-year deal worth $4.6 million ($1.15 million per year).
Sanders would’ve made tens of millions more in the first round, where he was a consensus projected pick.
One spot Sanders was linked to was the No. 9 pick and the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints instead opted for Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. That pick wound up receiving a four-year deal worth $27.73 million.
The fact that no NFL team chose to pick Sanders between that point and the fifth round cost him more than $20 million on his rookie deal.
Sanders likely has plenty of family funding if he needs it, not to mention big sponsorship money.
MORE: Browns have weird plans for Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel QB competition
Making more than $1 million per year isn’t shabby, either, it’s just not quite the bright lights of the top-end salaries.
Sanders won’t be recouping the money he missed out on in the draft, so his only choice now is to keep getting better.
If he plays well enough in the near term, maybe his long-term contract will be much more impressive and make this lightweight rookie deal just a thing of the past.
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