Shedeur Sanders breaks Tom Brady's record, earning a reported $17.7 million in licensing income in 2025
· Yahoo Sports
Shedeur Sanders is still battling to become the No. 1 quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, but he has already cemented himself as No. 1 in another area.
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The Browns quarterback reportedly earned $17.7 million from NFLPA Group Licensing Income in 2025, per Front Office Sports.
To put into perspective how much money the then-rookie quarterback earned, the previous record was held by Tom Brady. The future Hall of Fame quarterback earned $9.5 million from the NFLPA Group Licensing Income in the 2021-2022 season.
Sanders surpassed Brady’s previous record by nearly doubling it. To further show how much the Browns QB earned, J.J. McCarthy led this metric for the 2024-2025 season, taking home $4 million.
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The former Colorado quarterback is now heading into his second season in the NFL. His rookie year was all but predictable as he was once perceived as a top-two pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but ended up falling to the fifth round, where the Browns used the 144th overall pick on him.
Sanders began his rookie season as the backup to both Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. He finally got the chance to take the field in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens and went 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards and an interception after Gabriel left with a concussion.
The QB then made his first start in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, leading the Browns to a 24-10 win. Sanders was 11 of 20 for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
All told for his rookie campaign, he finished with 1,400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sanders started seven games with a 3-4 record.
Despite his career getting off to a slow start, the quarterback knew how to market himself, and he was a fan favorite in college thanks to his media presence and his signature celebration, which was mimicked across the sports and entertainment industries.
Heading into the 2026-2027 season, Sanders is once again in a position battle vying to be Cleveland’s starter for the team’s Week 1 matchup on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While his focus is on earning that spot over teammate Deshaun Watson, the second-year QB can at least appreciate that he has already set one record through his NFL career.