In college football, it’s not uncommon for two players on the same team to have the same jersey number. In those instances, the men involved feature on opposite sides of the ball. This helps limit potential confusion and stat miscalculations throughout a contest.
Advertisement
In Colorado, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter couldn’t share a number because Hunter starred on offense and defense. But now that they’re in the NFL, they can. And they are: Sanders, for the Cleveland Browns, and Hunter, as a Jacksonville Jaguar, will both sport the number 12 as rookies.
Hunter wore 12 at Colorado; Sanders rocked the deuce (2). After Sanders copied Hunter’s choice, the No. 2 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft ribbed his college quarterback. He told Sanders, “You just want to be like me. Just say that.” Hunter then continued, speaking as if Sanders were responding to his claim.
“I inspired him to get 12, that’s what it was. He’s like, ‘sure, I got 12. Let’s get it. Then I can just say it’s my dad’s [number] in reverse,” Hunter said on Well Off Media.
Shedeur’s father, of course, is Deion Sanders, who popularized ’21’ during his NFL career. The Hall of Famer donned the number for the first 12 seasons of his professional football life. Then, following three years of retirement, he rocked ’37’ for the Baltimore Ravens (2004-05) before retiring for good.
Hunter, by virtue of his excellent draft status, was able to step into the league without changing his number. Shedeur expected to be in a similar position, but slipping to No. 144 didn’t grant him the same leeway. Plus, another Brown – wide receiver DeAndre Carter – already took ‘2’ before Shedeur was picked. When asked if he considered buying the number off Carter, he revealed he’d have to pass.
“I’m not tryna buy anything. My signing bonus ain’t that high right now.”
Shedeur will make $4.65 million over four years on his rookie contract, per Spotrac. His signing bonus is approximately $447K. For comparison, his NIL valuation at Colorado in 2024 was $6.5 million.
Hunter, with a projected $46.5 million contract, will rake in ten times the amount of money Shedeur pulls across the same four seasons. If Shedeur can ultimately vault to the top of Cleveland’s QB depth chart and prove he’s a franchise signal-caller, though, he’ll likely make that differential up in short order.
Fans will likely get their first taste of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter on NFL turf during the preseason. Cleveland battles the Carolina Panthers on Friday, Aug. 8, while Jacksonville hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers a day later (Aug. 9).
