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CFL team holds rights for Shedeur Sanders

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Dan Benton | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 9:21 AM ET

Shedeur Sanders is preparing for his rookie season as a member of the Cleveland Browns after being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he’s got other options.

In the improbable event that Sanders looks to take his talent north of the border, it was revealed this week that the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts own his exclusive negotiating rights.

#Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is among the notable names on the CFL negotiation list, with the Toronto #Argonauts holding his negotiating rights https://t.co/VtWuvY3P5T https://t.co/VtWuvY3P5T
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 4, 2025

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Toronto could legally lure Sanders away from the NFL; it simply means that if he were to opt to play in the CFL, he would be forced to negotiate with them and them alone.

Each of the CFL’s nine teams owns and operates a “negotiation list” of up to 45 players that include unsigned free agents, NFL players, college players, and players in other professional football leagues. All players on those lists can only negotiate with the team that holds their exclusive rights.

Players can be removed from those lists or have their negotiation rights traded at any time.

It’s unclear how long Sanders has resided on Toronto’s negotiation list, but it likely dates back to his college days at Colorado.

In addition to Sanders, several other current and former NFL quarterbacks appear on CFL negotiation lists, including Ben DiNucci (BC Lions), Jake Haener (Calgary Stampeders), Malik Cunningham (Edmonton Elks), Trey Lance (Saskatchewan Roughriders), and Brady Cook (Winnipeg Blue Bombers).

Rest assured, Shedeur Sanders is not going to surrender his NFL dream to play in the CFL. At least not anytime soon.

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

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