Few expected Shedeur Sanders to slide to the fifth round of the NFL Draft after being projected by many experts to be a first-round talent.
Now, fans frustrated by his draft-day slide have found a creative way to show their support for Sanders and help him make up the money he lost out on: by pledging to buy Sanders’ merchandise instead of his official Cleveland Browns jersey.
Fans are voicing their anger, organizing with viral posts, and pledging to avoid official NFL merchandise altogether. The movement reflects a growing belief among supporters that Sanders was deliberately overlooked.
Shedeur Sanders’ Fans Refuse To Buy His Jersey, But It’s To Put Money in His Pocket
Early signs suggest this isn’t just a fad. Fans are flocking to buy Sanders’ 2Legendary merch.
NFL aggregator Dov Kleiman recently commented on the fan movement.
Powerful: Many NFL fans on TikTok have pledged to purchase Shedeur Sanders’ jerseys and merchandise exclusively from his official website, rather than from the NFL shop, to support him after being drafted in the 5th round.
They believe the league blackballed Sanders.
Sanders… pic.twitter.com/JqLcLHCVau
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman)
“Powerful: Many NFL fans on TikTok have pledged to purchase Sanders’ jerseys and merchandise exclusively from his official website, rather than from the NFL shop, to support him after being drafted in the 5th round,” Kleiman wrote. “They believe the league blackballed Sanders. Sanders could potentially make millions of dollars from this trend.”
The post includes a video from a Sanders fan spreading the message.
Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft, figures to sign a contract worth $48.7 million over four years. As a fifth-round draft pick, Sanders is expected to make $4.6 million over four years. Fans are hoping to make him some extra money by flooding his merch store with orders.
“Fans have started a movement on TikTok pledging to only buy Shedeur Sanders jerseys / merch from his official website and not nfl.com to make up for the money he missed out on being snubbed out of the first 4 rounds. WILD,” one commenter stated.
“Buy Shedeur Merch from his website yall! Not the NFL,” another fan urged others.
Are fans actually following through with the boycott? It’s hard to say. The NFL Shop just released the top-10 best-selling jerseys since the 2025 NFL Draft, and Sanders cracked the top three. Jacksonville Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter and Ward have the top-selling jerseys, followed by Sanders at No. 3.
Best-selling rookie jerseys so far at NFL Shop:
1) Jaguars' Travis Hunter
2) Titans' Cam Ward
3) Browns' Shedeur Sanders
4) Raiders' Ashton Jeanty
5) Panthers' Tetairoa McMillan
Here’s the full top ten: pic.twitter.com/R4JpDwh9wF
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate)
Rounding out the top-10 best-selling jerseys are Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty, Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan, New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart, Giants EDGE Abdul Carter, Green Bay Packers WR Matthew Golden, Indianapolis Colts TE Tyler Warren, and Chicago Bears TE Colston Loveland.
While Sanders is much higher than one would expect for a fifth-round pick, the fact that he isn’t above Hunter or Ward suggests that perhaps the boycott is impacting his jersey sales.
It remains to be seen if Sanders will play as a rookie, as he enters a packed quarterback room that features Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel (who was drafted 50 picks earlier than Sanders). Cleveland also has Deshaun Watson under contract, but he’s recovering from a torn Achilles and is expected to miss the entire 2025 season (and he may never suit up for the Browns again).
All eyes will be on Sanders to see if he can win the Browns’ starting job and become the team’s long-term solution under center.
