After all the hits and misses from the Draft, the Browns’ 144 overall pick, Shedeur Sanders, rolled into rookie minicamp like he was born to wear orange and brown. Day 1: 32-for-33, 471 yards, five touchdowns. Day 2? Same chaos—28-of-30, 412 yards, another five touchdowns. That’s ten touchdowns in two days. No rookie QB in NFL minicamp history has ever done that. Not Mahomes, not Manning, not Brady. Just Shedeur.
So what’s he earning for all this, you’d ask? Not much. At least, not yet. Because being a fifth-rounder comes with a fifth-round check. His projected rookie deal lands at $4.6 million over four years, per Spotrac. That’s about $1.15 million per season. He’ll probably get a signing bonus somewhere between $2-3 million, but even that depends on how generous the Browns feel. In Boulder, he made more than that off the field. In Cleveland? Welcome to the grind.
Still, former NFL receiver and agent Aaron Lockett sees something cooking: “I thought it was unfortunate how far he slipped [in the draft], but I think Cleveland got a steal,” Lockett told EssentiallySports in an exclusive interview. “I think he’ll come in there and compete, and I think he’s going to make plays over the next couple of years.” If Sanders keeps lighting it up like this, that rookie deal won’t stay untouched for long.
Meanwhile, the Browns did hand out a real bag—just not to Sanders. On Friday, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. signed a four-year, $6.7 million deal, as first reported by Jordan Schultz. The third-rounder out of Bowling Green didn’t just earn that deal, he forced it. Fannin put up 117 catches for 1,555 yards last year—both single-season records for a college tight end. He’s a Canton native, a hometown kid done good. And now he’s cashed up.
As for Shedeur? His time’s coming. But first, he’s got to play his way through a crowded QB room—and maybe through a little front office patience.
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