Shedeur Sanders responds to Travis Hunter signing $46.6m contract as rookie QB gets huge boost to Browns future

Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s 2025 NFL Draft experience couldn’t have been more polar opposite.

Both Colorado Buffaloes were projected to be top first-round picks, and whilst that was true for Hunter, nobody could quite believe just how far down the draft Sanders would slide. 

Joe Flacco given ‘big edge’ in QB battle with Shedeur Sanders as rookie’s role predicted

Entering the draft as a two-way player, having played both wide receiver and cornerback in college, Hunter wanted to be drafted by an NFL team that would allow him to continue playing on both sides of the football.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were keen to allow the 2024 Heisman winner, who played 713 snaps on offense and 748 on defence for Colorado last season alone, to do just that. 

The only problem was, they had the fifth overall pick, and the likelihood was that Hunter would be long gone by the time they were on the clock. 

As such, Jacksonville’s new general manager James Gladstone pulled off a seismic trade with the Cleveland Browns in order to move up to the number two spot, costing them the fifth overall pick, a second-round pick (36th overall), a fourth-round pick (126th overall), and their 2026 first-round pick. 

In return, the Jaguars also received a fourth-round pick (104th overall) and a sixth-round pick (200th overall). 

Whilst it was all smiles in Hunters camp, his college teammate suffered a tremendous slide down the draft, still on the board as the start of the fifth round began. 

The son of Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders, who is currently dealing with a mystery illness, would eventually hear his name called when the Browns got back on the clock to select the 144th overall pick. 

Although Sanders may have felt aggrieved – and perhaps embarrassed – by sliding so far down the draft board, the most significant impact that it had on him was financially. 

Sanders agreed to a four-year, $4.6 million deal with the Browns that included a $447k signing bonus. 

However, Hunter was paid the big bucks, having just signed a four-year rookie contract worth $46.6 million, ten times as much as his former teammate. 

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WR/DB Travis Hunter has earned a huge pay day in Florida.Credit: Getty

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Rookie QB Shedeur Sanders is hoping to lead the Browns into the future.Credit: Getty

Furthermore, his signing bonus was reported to be in the region of $30.6 million making for a nice pay day for the 22-year-old. 

Upon signing his lucrative deal, the Jaguars made two social media posts announcing it, one referring to Hunter as a defensive back, and the other calling him a wide receiver, clearly signposting their intent to play him on both sides of the ball. 

In response to the former post, Sanders showed some respect to the dynamic hybrid player, reposting the Jaguars’ tweet with just one emoji – the fingers crossed. 

Sanders is currently in a four-way battle to become the Browns’ starting quarterback, where he is currently fourth on the depth chart. 

The absence of $230 million Deshaun Watson has boosted Sanders’ chances of claiming the role of the primary signal caller on a team looking to bounce back from a 3-14 record in the 2024 season.

However, he has to out-perform third-round draft selection Dillon Gabriel, as well as veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco, the latter of whom is seen as having the ‘big edge’ to be the starter in week 1. 

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Sanders and Hunter will go from teammates to opponents in the NFL.Credit: Getty

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The Browns have four quarterbacks battling for the starting spot in 2025

In Cleveland’s quarterback room, only Flacco has ever taken to the field in a Browns uniform, where he briefly took over the reins at quarterback following injuries to Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson in 2023. 

In his five starts, he led Cleveland to a 4-1 record, which secured their first playoff berth since 2020, and just their third appearance in the postseason since the turn of the millennium. 

But should things not pan out in the early parts of next season – whomever is at the helm at QB – due to having a tough schedule to begin their 2025 campaign, then Sanders could see time on the field.

According to Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, the team will only pivot from the quarterback they feel gives them the best chance of winning if they find themselves heading towards another dismal campaign.

Joe Flacco given ‘big edge’ in QB battle with Shedeur Sanders as rookie’s role predicted

“The Browns won’t try to tank, but they have a rough early schedule, and will be hard-pressed to have a winning record at midpoint,” Cabot said. “In the event that they do, they’ll stick with the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win.

“If they’re clearly not in the hunt, they’ll want to give Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders a chance to play so that they can determine if one of them has a legitimate shot to start for them next season.”

Whilst Sanders will be firmly battling it out with Flacco and co to try and earn the opportunity to step onto an NFL field, and feels as though he can make a strong case in pre-season, Hunter, on the other hand, is looking to make an immediate statement.

The 2024 Heisman winner is as confident as ever that his game will translate well into the league.

Should the Jaguars let him play the game as only he knows how, Hunter will become the first player in NFL history to play both positions simultaneously, and cement himself as the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. 

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