Ex-Cowboys star accuses NFL of robbing Shedeur Sanders of $50 million

Shedeur Sanders stood to earn $48 million had he been picked first overall in the 2025 Draft but now, he will earn a total of $4 million out of his rookie contract.

Ex-Cowboys star accuses NFL of robbing Shedeur Sanders of $50 million

Shedeur Sanders and Michael Irvin (Images via IMAGO)

If there is one thing the 2025 NFL Draft taught prospective athletes seeking to enter the NFL, it is that, irrespective of their talent, owners and scouts will not think twice before serving some humble pie to players with bold personalities. There were two serious candidates deemed the best quarterbacks in this year’s draft: Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Both of them were expected to be top 5 picks, the only question was who would go first?

However, fast forward to draft day, reality was harsher than anticipated. Shedeur Sanders, a guaranteed first-round pick, did not hear his name get called. The only call that he received wound up being a prank call. The same happened on day two of the Draft, and it was not until Day 3 that the Cleveland Browns picked him with their 144th overall pick.

Even his harshest critics were left speechless watching him slide from round one to round five. After the draft concluded, the likes of Stephen A. Smith and other notable analysts called out the owners for their role in letting Shedeur Sanders drop. Michael Irvin, a well-wisher of Deion Sanders and a legend in Dallas, shared similar thoughts to Stephen A.

Irvin did not hesitate to call Sanders’ drop in the Draft, a ‘$50 million robbery.’ In his opinion, the owners chose to strip the young quarterback of an opportunity to make millions to teach him a lesson. While NFL rookie contracts range from $48 million to $840,000, a player’s value is determined by the round he is picked in.

A few weeks before the draft, Shedeur Sanders was touted to be the first overall pick, but as fate would dictate otherwise, that was not the case.

Shedeur did not go to one or two, three or four, but in the fifth round, and after all the quarterbacks. After five of what, five quarterbacks? That’s mind-blowing. I think the crime, the $40 million robbery that just took place of Shedeur Sanders, or should I say I think the crime, the $50 million dollar robbery of Shedeur Sanders because that’s what I just witnessed If he were to go first overall.

Michael Irvin said on his YouTube channel

Sanders would have earned $48.8 million, worlds apart from his current contract, which will pay him $4.6 million as per Sportico.

Related: Ex-NBA champion blames Shedeur Sanders’ race for his Draft day fiasco, drags Shannon Sharpe in his rant

Michael Irvin was shocked to see that teams made Shedeur Sanders suffer due to his personality

There is little doubt that this was a deliberate move on the part of owners and scouts in the league. There is no other way to explain a scenario where a quarterback with 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns gets picked behind a quarterback who recorded 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns. Shedeur’s numbers, when compared to Tyler Shough, the Saints’ 40th overall pick, are exponentially better.

Despite being drafted in 5th round, Shedeur Sanders becomes the No.1 selling jersey for 2025 NFL rookies
Shedeur Sanders remains unfazed despite the setback in the NFL Draft (Image via IMAGO)

If his numbers were not the issue, then it ought to be his intangibles. Teams were not flattered by Shedeur boldly claiming to change franchise culture immediately. Michael Irvin, too, believes that his former teammate and Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, was targeted by the league.

In every way, Deion shook the system. Bypassed all of those systems that they have put in place to make sure they keep who they need on top. Deion went another route and he’s gotten to be a head coach. He took his sons with him, and he raised his sons right. Now, I don’t know if somehow Deion would have hopped over to the NFL.

Michael Irvin said

While Coach Prime confirmed that he intends to stay at Colorado for a few more years, he has not ruled out a future move to the NFL as a head coach.

Having coached his sons since High School, Coach Prime would have coached a franchise with Shedeur on it. The Sanders family stuck together through college; they did things differently, and they were one step away from proving that the athlete has more power in choosing his destination. How often is it that the father of a football player warns NFL teams that his son would play for only a select few franchises?

Deion and Shedeur Sanders were unable to do much once the Draft commenced because the power lies in the hands of NFL teams. Coach Prime’s relations with scouts and general managers must have soured since the conclusion of the draft. However, the power to prove the critics wrong lies in the hands of Shedeur Sanders. He finds himself in the least desirable quarterback situation across the league.

The Cleveland Browns have Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco in their quarterback room. With Watson expected to sit out the 2025-26 season, it leaves the rookies and Kenny Pickett battling it out for the starter’s role. Cleveland is likely to pick their starting quarterback from Sanders, Gabriel, and Pickett. Joe Flacco serves as a safety net to fall back on in case either of them cannot prove themselves to be ready for the role.

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