The recent federal LM-2 filing from the NFL Players Association including a stunning revelation regarding Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. In his first year in pro football, Shedeur earned $17.7 million in royalty payments.
In an interview with Front Office Sports, Colorado coach Deion Sanders (who also is Shedeur’s dad) addressed the record-setting number.
“I don’t know if people really dug into that,” Deion said, explaining that the payment wasn’t the result of jersey sales.
So if it wasn’t jersey sales, what drove the number?
“A tremendous deal with the NFLPA,” Deion said. “A tremendous deal.”
Deion previously mentioned “licensing” and “cards.” Some believe the number was largely driven by a trading-card deal negotiated before Shedeur fell to round five in the 2025 draft.
Regardless, Shedeur shattered Tom Brady’s prior one-year record of $9.5 million, establishing a new bar that will not be easy to catch.
