Shedeur Sanders Breaks NFL Record for Group Licensing Earnings in Rookie Season
The Cleveland Browns took Shedeur Sanders 144th overall in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and the football world didn't see it coming. Sanders was widely projected as a potential top-round pick but concerns around scheme fit and contract complexities sent his stock sliding.
That fall locked him into a slotted rookie deal averaging just $1.005 million a year, a far cry from the guaranteed money a first-round selection would have brought.
He's making up for it off the field in a big way.
According to the NFL Players Association's annual report filed this week with the Department of Labor, Sanders generated $17.7 million in group licensing income during his rookie season, setting a new NFL record.
The earnings were filed under his limited liability company SS2Legendary, which also doubles as his Instagram handle.
Shedeur Sanders Shatters Rookie Earnings Record
For context, J.J. McCarthy led all players during the 2024-25 season with $4 million in group licensing income through his LLC Newberry Raised. The previous all-time record belonged to Tom Brady, who pulled in $9.5 million during the 2021-22 season. Sanders didn't just break that mark. He nearly doubled it.
Group licensing revenue comes from deals involving six or more players and covers products like jerseys, trading cards, video games and other collectibles. The NFLPA figures also include player marketing income from appearances and hospitality-related promotional work.
While the off-field numbers were making history, Sanders was also building a case for himself on the field. He started the season on the bench without complaint, put in the work, and waited for his opportunity.
When it came, he delivered. Across eight games and seven starts, Sanders completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. He absorbed 23 sacks behind a beat-up offensive line and kept making plays.
Cleveland saw enough to keep him in the conversation. Sanders heads into 2026 with a Pro Bowl nod to his name, but the starting job isn't locked up. Deshaun Watson is also in the mix, and the Browns have Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green in the quarterback room.
The fifth-round label is long gone. Sanders walks into next season as the face of the franchise and right now nobody in the league is keeping pace with him on either side of the game.
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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 6:19 AM.