Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws during NFL rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Friday, May 9, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders Jokingly Shuts Down Jersey Swap With Friend Cam Ward At NFLPA Rookie Premiere

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Jack Carlough | Last updated May 19, 2025 4:24 PM ET

Longtime workout buddies Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward had some fun together this past weekend at the NFL Players Association's Rookie Premiere event in Los Angeles.

About one month after Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans and Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, the two quarterbacks reunited at the jersey unveiling event. There, Ward asked Sanders to do a jersey swap and was humorously shut down.

"I gotta sell it, I gotta have some type of money," Sanders joked while streaming the conversation on Twitch. "I'm already down."

While quarterbacking the Colorado Buffaloes over the past two seasons, Sanders had one of the highest name, image and likeness (NIL) valuations in college football, but his joke was likely referring to the potential earnings he missed out on after falling to the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Sanders, the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, entered the draft as a projected first-round pick.

According to Spotrac.com's Rookie wage scale, Sanders' contract with the Browns is expected to be worth approximately $4.65 million over four years. Meanwhile, Ward, who spent his final college season with the Miami Hurricanes, is projected to sign a four-year contract valued at nearly $50 million.

After wearing No. 2 throughout his college career, Sanders is sporting No. 12 with the Browns. Ward received permission from franchise great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon to sport No. 1.

Ward will likely get another opportunity to swap his Titans' No. 1 jersey with Sanders' No. 12 when Cleveland hosts Tennessee on Dec. 7. While Ward will likely start over returning Tennessee quarterback and 2023 second-round draft pick Will Levis next season, Sanders must beat out third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel, veteran Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Some have speculated that Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry will trade one of his four healthy quarterbacks ahead of the 2025 season.

"We're excited to have him (Sanders)," Berry told Cleveland radio station 92.3 The Fan prior to the Browns' rookie minicamp. "We spent a lot of time with him in the (pre-draft) process, he's a good kid, he's talented. We were surprised that he was available at No. 144 and we're excited to add him to the room. He's got to compete and earn a role, just like Dillon, just like Kenny, just like Joe. We're excited to see that competition because we do have a number of players in that room that we have a level of belief in. That's really my focus. I don't care about the narratives."

The Browns' first preseason game will come against the Carolina Panthers, who drafted former Colorado wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., on Aug. 8. Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski will likely give his two rookie quarterbacks plenty of game reps early in the preseason.

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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