Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel had drastically different collegiate football careers. That includes how the two quarterbacks performed, their stats, media presence, and last but not the least, the money they garnered.
Advertisement
Sanders spent two years at the FCS level before playing two seasons at Colorado. He made 24 FBS starts and threw 64 touchdown passes for the Buffaloes. Gabriel, meanwhile, played an astounding 64 games throughout his six years at three different schools. His 155 touchdown tosses are tied for the most in FBS history.
Despite performance, Sanders’ Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) earnings significantly outpaced Gabriel’s. The Colorado signal-caller pocketed $6.5 million with the Buffs in 2024. Gabriel’s, per On3 Sports, was $1.9 million. Fortunately for the Oregon alum, his draft positioning has him set him up to make more than Sanders across their first professional contracts.
Gabriel, a third-round choice (No. 94 overall), went 50 spots before Sanders, who was a fifth-round pick (No. 144 overall). That earlier slot netted Gabriel roughly $6.2 million on his four-year rookie deal.
Sanders, across the same time frame, will make just $4.6 million. Regardless, it will be their play, not their pay, that determines their role on the Cleveland Browns roster.
A first professional contract is the foundation for generational wealth. The second deal, though, is the real money maker.
Per Spotrac, there are 14 active quarterbacks signed for at least $200 million. Gabriel and Sanders are both hoping to join that club once eligible for a contract extension after the 2028 campaign.
Will Gabriel or Shedeur start for the Browns in Week One?
The problem? Only one of them can/will secure that payday in Cleveland. And the only way they can do that is by getting on the field.
Gabriel and Sanders will have a difficult enough time beating one another out for the Browns’ starting gig. But to truly lock down the depth chart’s top spot, they also have to outperform Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. And Flacco, the Super Bowl LVII MVP, isn’t keen on just riding off into the sunset as a backup.
“I’ve said, ‘I’m not a mentor. I play football.’ And in a quarterback room… there’s been, already, a ton of times where there’s learning experiences. And I have a lot of experience, and I can talk on things. And hopefully they listen. But it’s not necessarily my job to make them listen to me… [mentoring] is not my main focus,” Flacco said during the Browns OTA.
Flacco walked the walk in his first OTA, but Gabriel, Sanders, and Pickett delivered strong showings as well. These were their stats, as per ESPN Cleveland:
- Joe Flacco – 9/14, TD
- Shedeur Sanders: 7/9, 3 TD
- Kenny Pickett: 9/16
- Dillon Gabriel: 11/16, 2 TD, INT
After the session, ESPN Cleveland’s Aaron Goldhammer reported the “consensus” ranking of the quartet had Flacco atop the board, followed by Sanders, Gabriel, and Pickett.
Gabriel will have to flip the early narrative throughout the rest of OTAs and training camp if he wants to battle in the Cincinnati Bengals as Cleveland’s starter on September 7.
