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'It's Lit': Shedeur Sanders Reacts to Signing Rookie Contract with Browns

The quarterback put pen to paper with Cleveland last week.
Michael Kadlick|
Sanders seems excited to be a Cleveland Brown.
Sanders seems excited to be a Cleveland Brown. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Cleveland Browns

After a tumultuous slide down the board in the 2025 NFL draft, quarterback Shedeur Sanders was ultimately selected in the fifth round (144th pick) by the Cleveland Browns. Last week, amidst their offseason program, he officially signed his rookie contract with the team.

A pre-slotted four-year contract worth $4.6 million, it's certainly not what Sanders was expecting prior to draft weekend, but nevertheless, he sounds excited about putting pen to paper. The signal-caller reacted to his new deal during a recent podcast appearance:

"To get my first rookie contract?" Sanders responded when asked about signing. "It's lit!"

Sanders enters a quarterback room in Cleveland consisting of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel as Deshaun Watson recovers from Achilles surgery. The four will compete for the Browns' starting job throughout training camp.

"The quarterback room's fun," Sanders added. "Every day is fun going in there. Everything is really good. I'm happy."

Cleveland opens the 2025 season at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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