The Shedeur Sanders Brand Is Worth More Than His NFL Contract — And The NFL Knows It!

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]are.

[00:00:01]Shedeur had one of the worst rookie seasons as a quarterback in the history of the NFL. Polarizing, I'd say he's polarizing. There's that Shedeur Sanders hive that's almost Tebow level that is going to support him loudly and aggressively.

[00:00:14]>> too. Yeah. Shedeur, I know he made a Pro Bowl, but the Pro Bowl voting is a joke.

[00:00:18]On 25th year anniversary is coming up here on November 1, the most popular story of all time was when I just kind of got this idea of during the second night of last year's For that reason alone, and Shedeur going somewhere else and absolutely tearing it up. I just want to see what he looks like in a professional environment where he's supported and they Shedeur Sanders 4-year NFL rookie contract is worth $4.6 million.

[00:00:44]His NIL valuation at Colorado last season was $6.5 million. He was the number one jersey seller among all 2025 NFL Draft picks and the number five jersey seller in the entire NFL ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, a third-string quarterback. A college transfer QB just signed a 1-year NIL deal worth $5 million, more than Shedeur's entire 4-year NFL deal. And Mike Florio's most read story in 25 years of Pro Football Talk was a suggestion about Shedeur. The brand is already bigger than the contract. And here's the part the NFL doesn't want to say out loud. They know it, too, because if they didn't, Watson wouldn't need to get baptized, the schedule video wouldn't erase him completely, and a 25-year-old sports media site wouldn't have built its all-time record on one article about him. The financial gap between what the NFL paid him and what the market says he's worth is the most revealing number in the entire story.

[00:01:41]But the jersey sales data is where it gets impossible to dismiss because it means the market already voted on who QB1 should be before a single snap was taken. Here's what that looks like through two national media lenses.

[00:01:53]>> Deion Sanders, the Colorado head coach whose son, if you haven't heard, is one of the quarterbacks in Cleveland, recently appeared on Garrett Bush's podcast called The Barbershop, and it was about 45 minutes, and there was a lot there. A lot of stuff I haven't heard Deion address as relates to Shaddur, who who obviously I don't want to say polarizing. Is he polarizing? I'd say he's polarizing. There's that Shaddur Sanders hive that's almost Tebow-level that is going to support him loudly and aggressively and demand that he be the starting back in Cleve starting quarterback, excuse me, in Cleveland. And then there's the you know, I don't know, everybody else that is just I I don't know that I I don't know that there is an anti a strong anti-Shaddur component out there.

[00:02:35]There may be. I just think most of the people are just kind of like, let's see.

[00:02:38]Let's see. I mean, you're you're in the NFL now. The draft slide doesn't matter at this point. You're in the NFL. You have your opportunity. Let's see what you can do. But there is that group that is very loyal, very loud, very faithful to Shaddur Sanders.

[00:02:49]>> No no doubt. I mean, he's kind of a cultural icon. He's cool like that. He is. There's no doubt about that. And of course, it's Deion Sanders. And Deion Sanders is as cool as they come. He's a legend. Like we always talk about, he's one of the greatest athletes and players I've ever seen in my life.

[00:03:01]Personalities, all of that. And Shaddur goes to Colorado and kind of lifts them back up into the spotlight and has some good years there. And yeah, so it created a following. There's no doubt about that. And then, you know, for his following, the slide in the draft, I think them made them even more rabid to support him that way. And then you're right. I don't feel like you know, it's anti for the most part. I think there's I don't think it's anti towards Shaddur.

[00:03:23]I think it's more anti towards there's more attention given to the guy than there should be. And I think that rubs people the wrong way more than not, right? And I and I'll even say I'm like that at times. Because I like You know I love Deion. I like Shaddur, certainly.

[00:03:35]But are there times where I'm like are is are we really is is there just all they're going to talk about in Cleveland is Shaddur Sanders all the time? Yeah, it gets a little tiring. And it's a good thing for Shaddur, but it's not it's not always a good thing. And there's always a conversation, you know, behind the scenes about him. And as we know, it's a big year. It is a big year. He did some good things coming in playing quarterback at the end of the year last year. He did some bad things where you go, "Whoa, he needs some work." And here he is in a battle. Let's see what happens with him and Deshaun Watson, but regardless, you're right. He is kind of a polarizing subject in the NFL.

[00:04:03]Well, Deion's got a big personality.

[00:04:06]Shedeur's got a big personality. Shilo, even though he isn't playing in the NFL, he's got a personality that has at least punctured through with some comments he made about Mary Kay Cabot at the Cleveland Plain Dealer from which he was rightfully scrutinized and criticized.

[00:04:18]That's one of the topics that Deion addresses in the podcast appearance. He says that Shilo was ridiculed for his comments. Ridiculed, if you look up the word, it really isn't unfair scrutiny.

[00:04:28]It was fair scrutiny because he said some stuff he shouldn't have said. And I would have liked to have heard Deion say, you know, he probably went too far.

[00:04:33]But it was defensive. He's taking up for his brother. Well, supporting [clears throat] a family member still has limits as to what you can say. And doing it It's honorable that he loves his brother and he wants to help his brother, but but there's a way you go about doing it that makes you and the family look bad. And the other part of it, too, is that embrace of social media. There are people who have had enough of the folk who who seek out fame for the sake of fame. The Kardashian dynamic where you bring nothing to the table other than a camera in your face at all times, and that leverages its way into fame. At some point, you have to back it up with something. And Shedeur's trying to back it up with something by being the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. But that They're just Hey, I mean, it's good for business.

[00:05:13]Our most viewed and read story of all time.

[00:05:18]25th year anniversary is coming up here on November 1. The most popular story of all time was when I just kind of got this idea up during the second night of last year's draft to suggest that he should pull his name out and go back to college.

[00:05:29]>> That's crazy. I never knew that that was your biggest story of all time.

[00:05:32]>> has been blazed. Yeah.

[00:05:34]But but because, you know, it's It was a confluence of Shedeur Sanders and this ongoing wild west vibe in college football.

[00:05:41]Because the knee-jerk reaction is, "Oh, he can't do that. He's declared for the draft." Well, all these rules All these rules are houses of cards. They're all falling apart. You get a letter from a lawyer and they're going to back off and say come on back to the draft. We saw them last year welcome back to Baylor with four years of eligibility. A guy who was drafted by the Pistons in the first round in 2023. So the rules are out the window. So anyway, just at me your suggestion because of we should or Sanders during that draft slide, that was the story that completely consumed professional football. A suggestion, not a trade, not a signing, not a game, consumed all of professional football for a full news cycle. That's brand power that no contract dollar amount can accurately measure. But here's what the panel in source two said about the Pro Bowl that accidentally proves the brand point even better. We got to ask you something about Shaddur. Oh sweet, Colorado talk. This will be good. Rob Parker >> [laughter] >> Smitty's boy Rob Parker who's a friend of mine as well. He comes on the show.

[00:06:37]He's been on the show.

[00:06:38]He he he said some very interesting things about Shaddur. Take a listen to this Smitty.

[00:06:43]News for Deion. That was hell watching Shaddur. It is unbelievable where we are.

[00:06:49]Shaddur had one of the worst rookie seasons as a quarterback in the history of the NFL. 56.6% completion.

[00:06:58]1400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions.

[00:07:03]The Browns went three and four in those games. His 10 interceptions over the final eight weeks were an NFL high. Do you hear me? NFL high.

[00:07:12]That was hell.

[00:07:14]>> [laughter] >> And for all the people every time he threw a touchdown who would text me and all of these Shaddur guys, I was like dude, can you stop? Cuz you never text me when he throws another pick.

[00:07:23]>> Right. Okay? He did not play well.

[00:07:26]If this was Dylan Gabriel with these same numbers, what would people be saying Carrie? What what would they be saying? Oh, they'd be done with Dylan.

[00:07:32]They would be done with him.

[00:07:34]>> Yeah. He can't play.

[00:07:36]This whole idea like Shaddur was done wrong. I get it. A lot of guys carry, you know, their games don't always translate over into We get the gist of it, right? Uh let let me ask you, Matt, are you Do you think that that's simply what what he just ended with? Dylan Gabriel, if he did it, he'd be getting blasted. But, also to Smitty's point, we talk about it all the time and I'll agree. Uh he's a third-rounder versus a fifth-rounder. Do you think the grace the the fifth-rounder getting in and playing is that's simply the the case? That he's getting a lot of grace because of the fifth round versus the third round and all that?

[00:08:08]I don't really think either of them got any grace. I mean, Gabriel got lambasted for being awful while he was playing and Shedeur also, too. Yeah. Shedeur, I know he made a Pro Bowl, but the Pro Bowl voting's a joke. Let's be real. That's not Yeah, I'm glad you made the Pro Bowl, bro, but that's it's not a real Pro Bowl designation.

[00:08:23]It's cuz everybody else got hurt and didn't want to go. No, everybody else is awesome. Everybody else is awesome. It's The All-Pro is all I care about and all anybody cares about. Pro Bowls don't mean dick anymore. And that it's not a knock on Shedeur. I would accept it, too, if I was in his position. Why wouldn't you? It's a bonus on your contract and it's part of the game and it it's what goes on resumes.

[00:08:38]And yeah, you earned it. Good job. Um I don't think Shedeur played well by any means. 56% seven touchdowns, 10 picks.

[00:08:45]That's not good. But, he was better than Gabriel.

[00:08:48]I mean, that's the team played better than around him than than when they had Gabriel, too. They looked competitive in some games. You know, the the Titan-Cleveland game with him and Sandboard was back and forth, very exciting and kind of a preview of what we might see down the road. But, people need to stop talking about Shedeur like he's going to start. I've never heard of all um I I think that that Shedeur's not getting screwed. He's now competing.

[00:09:11]This is what the NFL is, especially when you're a fifth-rounder. Tom Brady had to wait his turn to compete, and when his time came, he ran with it. If you, you know, I think Shedeur has all the potential in the world to be a great player. I also think there's a world where he gets overlooked and he's not Cleveland [clears throat] anymore and has to maybe go do it somewhere else.

[00:09:28]Which, honestly, honestly, let's be real, might be the best thing possible.

[00:09:31]I know this sucks right now for all the Shedeur-sexuals and all the Prime-sexuals who can't get over it and think it's like some knock on him. This is just [clears throat] the nature of the NFL. There's new coach, new opportunities. I think it's better if it goes so bad in Cleveland that he either has to get released or traded. And I'm not necessarily saying he plays bad. I'm just saying the optics of it and the situation became so becomes so toxic through the fan base, social media, the pressure from the outside world to play him and they don't and he's just standing there and the narrative in Cleveland becomes the the Browns are three and eight and the the next guy off the bench when Watson went down or whatever is Gabriel instead of Shaddur and there's, you know, revolt in the fan base. People are freaking out and there's tons of toxicity. I could see them getting rid of him for that reason alone.

[00:10:16]And Shaddur going somewhere else and absolutely tearing it up. I just want to see what he looks like in a professional environment where he's supported and they want to play him. Not like they feel like they have to play him or the social media aspect is pushing towards the the community and social media wants to play him and pundits think he should play and it's this huge topic. I just want to see and I'm selfish in in saying this. I know I understand that I'm a buff and I think the kid is pretty good.

[00:10:42]Um, I also think he needs to earn it and this is an opportunity to humble yourself before the game and understand it's a privilege which to play and learn something from this adverse situation and move forward. You know, there's a ton of teams out there that are quarterback thirsty and I he could end up there in a situation where they actually want to play him and develop him and see if he can Even the critic who dismissed his Pro Bowl selection and called his stats bad predicted he'll tear it up somewhere. That's the brand.

[00:11:11]Every skeptic ends with I want to see what he can do in the right environment.

[00:11:15]That desire from critics is what makes a brand more valuable than a contract. The Sportico quote confirms it. The NFL paid him $4.6 million over four years. The market gave him the fifth highest jersey sales in the league as a backup. A Texas Tech transfer made more in one college year than his entire NFL deal. And the most read story in 25 years of PFT was a suggestion about him. OTAs, May 19th.

[00:11:45]Subscribe because the second contract is where this all gets settled. Here's the complete brand versus contract picture.

[00:11:52]NFL pays him $4.6 million over 4 years.

[00:11:56]His NIL valuation at Colorado was $6.5 million in one season. A college transfer QB just made $5 million in one NIL year, more than his entire NFL deal.

[00:12:08]He's the number one jersey seller among all 2025 rookies. He's number five in the entire NFL, ahead of Mahomes, ahead of Lamar as a third stringer with an $840,000 base salary. Mike Florio's most read story in 25 years of Pro Football Talk was a suggestion about him. Even the critics who dismissed his Pro Bowl selection and called his stats bad ended with, "I want to see him tear it up somewhere." That's not football. That's brand equity. And a league executive told Sportico that relevance, the kind Shedeur generates, is a step toward becoming championship caliber. The NFL knows exactly what they have. They just haven't decided what to do with it yet.

[00:12:48]OTAs start May 19th. Subscribe because the second contract is where this story gets settled.