Cris Carter Estimates Shedeur Sanders 'Threw Away' $30M-50M Amid NFL Draft Rumors

Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter believes Shedeur Sanders "threw away at least $30 to $50 million" amid his fall into the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

"There's a system out there. You're going for a job interview," Carter said at the 13:40 mark of Monday's Fully Loaded podcast. "He was so concerned about what his outfit was, his necklace was over 100 grand. He hadn't even convinced people that, You're the face of our franchise.

"Matter of fact, he had convinced people that they were better off going in a different direction, even with people who had lesser talent."

There have been rumors that some teams were not fans of the way Sanders handled the pre-draft process, with Boomer Esiason saying on WFAN that some NFL owners had their teams remove the quarterback from their draft boards.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward is projected by Spotrac to receive a four-year, $48.8 million deal after being chosen with the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft.

At No. 144, Sanders is projected to receive a four-year, $4.6 million deal. That's significantly less than On3's $6.5 million NIL valuation for Sanders during his final college season.

Jaxson Dart, selected by the New York Giants with the No. 25 pick, is projected to earn $16.9 million over four years. Browns quarterback and third-round selection Dillon Gabriel is projected at $6.2 million over the same span.

Because of his relatively low draft cost, the Browns will also be under less pressure to give Sanders a shot at starting, which could further impact his earnings in the NFL.

Sanders will look to up his earnings potential by competing with Gabriel, alongside veteran quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Kenny Pickett, for playing time when Browns training camp begins this summer.