Shedeur Sanders’ rookie season may not have come with the on-field success he imagined, but he still managed to hold the top-selling jersey among all 2025 NFL rookies. Despite being a late-round pick, Shedeur’s jersey sales surpassed those of the No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, and former teammate Travis Hunter. The sales proved one thing: Shedeur’s brand is still winning and still legendary. A statement that once again proved right after his recent off-field accomplishments.

The National Football League’s Players Association records showed that Shedeur earned a record-breaking $17.7 million in royalties/player marketing last year. While this is a historic achievement in many ways for the Shedeur family, his brother Shilo took to X to post a humorous message on X.

“I know Shedeur Sanders not gone be selfish and keep it all for himself.” Sanders Jr playfully commented on X.

The numbers reported are from May 2025 to February 2026. According to Front Office Sports, the earnings “encompasses deals that include six or more players, the most typical of which are jerseys, trading cards, video games, and other collectibles.” These earnings by the NFLPA do not include the endorsement deal Shedeur already has.

Meanwhile, the player marketing portion of the income comes from appearances and hospitality promotions.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback earned more than $20 million in licensing deals over the past season, far exceeding his average NFL salary of $1.005 million and 170% more than what his father, Deion Sanders, will earn for the 2026 season as Colorado’s head coach. Hence, the figure carries significant weight for the second-year quarterback.

According to CBS Sports, Sanders’ LLC received 13 payments in total, and much of the credit goes to the loyal fanbase that follows him everywhere he goes. The documents noted that the funds were paid to the Browns’ quarterback’s SS2 Legendary LLC from May 2025 through February 2026, highlighting that the highest payment of $9.2 million came a few days after the 2025 NFL Draft.

Despite being a fifth-round pick, Shedeur’s earnings reflect his popularity in the league. He also has over 2 million followers on Instagram, which is sensational for a rookie QB who was not the starter for his team during Gameweek 1.

According to a report from EssentiallySports‘ Senior NFL Features Writer, Keshav, “all group licensing income is usually dominated by top draft picks and established stars.”

For example, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy led the league in LLC earnings with $4 million in his rookie season. Interestingly, Shedeur’s Colorado teammate, Travis Hunter, finished second with $12.8 million in total earnings.

While Deion Jr.‘s message on X was cheeky, it also reflects how tightly bound the family is. After posting the message, he also reposted the same update from other prominent accounts, which shows how proud he was of his brother. While both Deion Jr. and Shilo come from a football family, they never played professional football together.

Sanders Jr. played as a wide receiver for SMU (Southern Methodist University) from 2013 to 2015. Later, the former WR stepped away from football to focus on building the family’s media and content brand, Well Off Media. Whereas Shedeur went to Jackson State and then moved to Colorado to play under his dad, Coach Prime, and elder brother, Shilo Sanders.

The Sheduer family did well at Jackson State. And when they went to Colorado, they made it into one of the most popular teams in the CFB. Shedeur’s play was elite in college, as he threw for 14,353 passing yards and 134 touchdowns over his college football career.

Undoubtedly, Shedeur was going to back up on his popularity when he came into the NFL. Not only because he is Coach Prime’s son, but because of his personality. However, Shedeur’s rookie-season royalty earnings have put him ahead of a 7x Super Bowl winner, who is far more popular than the Browns quarterback.

Sanders’ record-breaking royalty earnings have already surpassed those of some NFL legends

The record for the highest licensing payday was set at $9.5 million by Tom Brady, widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever play in the league. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes follows Brady’s record, as he sits with an $8 million record. Between Brady and Mahomes, there are 10 Super Bowls and 5 league MVP awards. Shedeur, on the other hand, has started in only 7 NFL games.

As he progresses, Shedeur’s stock will only keep growing further. The valuations could increase, and even his next contract could be a bigger one than his rookie deal. In his second season itself, if he can beat out Deshaun Watson and earn Todd Monken’s trust enough to win the starting job this year, he could potentially break his own record.

Going into his second year, there will be many eyes on the Browns quarterback because of the name he carries on his jersey. While he has already established a name for himself, it is going to be imperative that he steps up and cements that starting QB spot.