The Cleveland Browns have signed rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders to a four-year contract worth $4.6 million. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported the news. Much has been made about the Colorado product's epic draft-day slide, and now it's up to him to prove the league wrong. Whether he's an NFL-caliber quarterback remains to be seen, but he's undoubtedly motivated to start his climb up Cleveland's quarterback depth chart. Accuracy is Sanders' superpower, but he needs to play more within the confines of his game, particularly given his average athleticism. The good news is that the competition to head the Browns' offense is mostly wide open. Veteran Joe Flacco stands to get the first crack at the starting job unless Kenny Pickett can beat him out in training camp. From there, it's Sanders and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) unlikely to play in 2025.
Browns Say Shedeur Sanders is Willing to Put in the Work
Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders went from being a projected first-round pick in this year's NFL draft to not being taken until No. 144 overall in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns passed on Sanders six times before taking him with their seventh pick. However, head coach Kevin Stefanski is confident Sanders can be a successful NFL QB. "We're getting a guy that really is not so concerned about where he landed in this draft, but he is willing to put in the work and that's what we're going to do," Stefanski said. The 23-year-old has a long ways to go to work his way up a QB depth chart in Cleveland that includes Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. He's accurate but has average arm strength, and his athleticism doesn't jump off the page. NFL teams believe he's a backup, at best. Time will tell if Sanders can prove them wrong.
NFL Hands Out Fines To Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich For Leak Of Shedeur Sanders' Phone Number
The NFL is fining the Atlanta Falcons $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 due to the leak of quarterback Shedeur Sanders' phone number ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, according to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo. Ulbrich's son, Jax, used the phone number to prank call Sanders on Day 2 of last week's draft. The 21-year-old issued a public apology days later, and the NFL is looking into ways to stop this from happening in the future.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot writes that it is going to be a steep climb for rookie fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders to beat out Steelers 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel and fan favorite Joe Flacco for the starting job in 2025. The Browns passed on Sanders six times in last week's draft, including at No. 94 when they took Oregon product Gabriel. Cleveland only traded up to take Sanders at 144th overall because the "steep discount" was too good to pass up. Cabot thinks the 23-year-old will have to outperform the other three QBs on the roster, and he'll have to do it with limited reps this summer. If the season started tomorrow, Pickett might be the current favorite to start under center for the Browns. If Sanders doesn't look good in training camp, he could eventually be cut before the start of the 2025 season this fall.
Shedeur Sanders Struggled During Pre-Draft Process
Most NFL coaches and scouts didn't view Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders as a first-round talent going into last week's draft. Sanders isn't an exceptional athlete, didn't show great arm strength and displayed bad habits while taking too many sacks at Colorado. The fact that he fell all the way to the fifth round of the draft means that most teams considered him to be more of a developmental project at the NFL level. SI.com's Albert Breer writes that when asked to explain an interception by a team during the scouting combine, Sanders didn't take blame and concluded that maybe he and the staff wouldn't be a good match. Ahead of another visit he took, Sanders got an install with mistakes intentionally planted in it, and Sanders didn't catch the mistakes. When he was called out on it, the resulting exchange wasn't pretty. With Cleveland also taking QB Dillon Gabriel in the draft, Sanders will likely be competing to be the team's No. 3 quarterback this summer.
Browns Trade Up To Select Shedeur Sanders In The Fifth Round
The Cleveland Browns traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the 144th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. After one of the most historic slides in draft history, Sanders is finally off the board. There were times when Sanders was mocked to the Giants at No. 3 overall, so seeing him fall to the fifth round was truly fascinating. The general consensus around the league seems to be that Sanders possesses clear arm talent and quarterbacking skills, but his character is a major concern. Plus, many teams likely passed on him because they didn't want their backup quarterback to be a potential distraction. Whatever the reason, his slide ended with the Browns. Cleveland has an extremely crowded quarterback room with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) recovering from injury, followed by Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Sanders. Any of those quarterbacks could make the 53-man roster, so Sanders will need to have a very strong training camp if he wants to earn a roster spot or playing time.
Tyler Shough Could Come Off The Board Before Shedeur Sanders
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said on the Dan Patrick Show that it's "entirely possible" that Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough is taken in Round 2 of the 2025 NFL draft on Friday night before Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. "The wildest rumor is that the third QB off the board will not be Shedeur Sanders, it will not be Jalen Milroe it'll be Tyler Shough," Pelissero said. Shough was Justin Herbert's backup at Oregon for two years, but he's gained a lot of steam going into the second round and could go as high as No. 33 overall to the Cleveland Browns. The 25-year-old's experience, size (6-foot-5, 219 pounds) and arm strength are all things that are intriguing to NFL teams and that could set him apart from Sanders. Like Sanders, Shough is more of a pocket passer, but teams could be scared away from him early in the second round after he suffered injuries in three straight years.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' value heading into this week's NFL draft is all over the map, according to evaluators across the NFL. "Show me a QB that takes a lot of sacks in college and can translate his game to the NFL," an unnamed veteran coach said. Sanders was sacked 92 times over two seasons with the Buffaloes and often times drifted in the pocket and held onto the all too long. The Athletic's draft expert Dane Brugler noted that Sanders' three worst games on tape came against Colorado's three toughest Big 12 opponents. The 23-year-old signal-caller was believed to the top QB prospect at the start of the offseason, but Miami's Cam Ward has leaped him, and now it's possible Sanders could fall all the way out of the first round on Thursday night. Sanders could be more of a developmental QB prospect, which has the Giants hesitant about whether to take him at No. 3 overall.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan writes that he doesn't know who the New Orleans Saints are targeting with pick No. 9 in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday night, but he thinks he can safely say that it won't be Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders if he falls that far. It's unclear if current starter Derek Carr (shoulder) will be ready for the start of the 2025 season this fall, but most people close to the Saints believe they will be prioritizing an offensive or defensive lineman with their first-round pick this year. There have been rumblings that the Saints are very interested in Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart and may even prefer him over Sanders, but No. 9 overall is considered too much of a reach for him in the first round. If the New York Giants don't take Sanders at No. 3 overall, there's a good chance that he could fall to the back end of the first round or out of the first round entirely.
Steelers Very Interested In Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac said on The Rich Eisen Show that the Pittsburgh Steelers really like both Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. "I will tell you Rich that they have a first-round grade on Jaxson Dart, and they really like Shedeur Sanders," Dulac said. "Despite whatever post was put out there that he had a terrible meeting (and) it did not go well. Nothing could be further from the truth. They like the guy. They had a great meeting with him." Pittsburgh has yet to sign future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and have only Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on their QB depth chart heading into the draft, so many are predicting that they will address the position with the 21st overall pick in the first round on Thursday night. However, Dulac thinks the team prefers to go with a defensive lineman with their first-round pick. There's a greater chance that Sanders is gone by pick No. 21.
Shedeur Sanders
• QB
•
Browns
