Shedeur Sanders denies Cam Ward’s request for his Browns jersey: ‘I gotta sell it’

Sanders’ response followed his journey falling to the third day of the 2025 NFL Draft. Many expected Sanders to hear his name called during the first round of the annual event — but no one expected the former Colorado star to fall to the fifth round to the Cleveland Browns. This significantly cut Sanders’ expected rookie contract figures, leading to his comments.

Sanders appeared to be light-hearted about the situation, smiling as he turned away from Ward at the end. Of course, Sanders might have just wanted to keep his jersey for himself.

Meanwhile, Ward is going to be paid handsomely by the Tennessee Titans during his rookie deal. As the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Ward is expected to sign a four-year contract worth $48,757,500 with an AAV of $12,189,375. Ward is also expected to receive a signing bonus totaling $32,100,000.

While Sanders’ contract doesn’t mirror Ward’s at the moment, that doesn’t take away what the Cleveland Browns QB is capable of. Many reports state that Sanders had a strong introduction to the franchise with his performance during rookie minicamp earlier this month.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he will have the opportunity to compete for the starting job as a rookie — but it depends on his play on the practice field that will dictate that decision. However, Sanders is confident in his abilities and is looking to turn the Browns historical misfortune around.

Recently speaking with Browns broadcaster Nathan Zegura, Sanders said that he wants to give Cleveland fans “something to hope for,” regarding the Browns one day contending for a championship.

If there’s one thing he isn’t giving up — his jersey on display at the NFLPA Rookie Premier. Still, fans got to see a behind-the-scenes, humorous interaction between the two rookie NFL quarterbacks, something that doesn’t typically see the light of day.