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Shedeur Sanders addresses his Browns jersey number

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated May 10, 2025 12:46 PM ET

Shedeur Sanders addressed questions about his Cleveland Browns jersey number on Saturday.

After wearing No. 2 during his college career at Colorado, Sanders opted for No. 12 after being drafted. His old number went to veteran wide receiver DeAndre Carter, who had signed with the Browns in March as a free agent.

Sanders said Saturday that he has no intention of trying to purchase the number off Carter, because “my signing bonus ain’t that high right now.”

I asked Shedeur Sanders (No. 12) if he'll try to buy No. 2 from #Browns WR DeAndre Carter. He said, no, "my signing bonus ain't that high right now."
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) May 10, 2025

There were indications that some in Sanders’ camp were not happy that he was denied his college number in Cleveland. However, Carter selected the No. 2 when he signed in March. It simply was not announced publicly until recently.

Sanders signed some big NIL deals in college, so presumably he has more than just his signing bonus at his disposal if he wanted to try and purchase the number. More realistically, it’s not a great look for a fifth-round rookie to be preoccupied with a jersey number, and Sanders might be wary of that look after a lot of negative reports about his pre-draft conduct.

For now, Sanders will get to work in rookie minicamp, where he looked solid early on. He has a legitimate chance of competing for the starting quarterback job if he can impress during camp. If he can win that role, then perhaps he will want to have a discussion about his jersey number.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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