Shedeur Sanders has already made a big splash in NFL betting markets — and that’s all without having played one snap of professional football.
At BetMGM, the quarterback out of Colorado is the book’s biggest liability for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In this spot, Sanders has both the highest ticket (10.5%) and the highest handle (23.5%).
But when you look at the board, his odds are nowhere near the top to win the award.
Currently, Ashton Jeanty and Cam Ward are the favorites at +250. Shedeur’s Colorado teammate Travis Hunter rounds out the top three at +600.
Tetairoa McMillan at +1300 and Omarion Hampton at +1400 are fourth and fifth.
So where is Shedeur?
He’s 10th at +2200. But that hasn’t stopped bettors from believing that he can bring home the hardware, and that could partially be because of the incredible stats he put up while starting at QB for the Buffaloes.
In 2024, Sanders racked up 4,134 passing yards and had 37 touchdowns. Over the course of 24 games in Boulder, he went 651-for-907 passing with a total of 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Despite those lofty numbers, Sanders unceremoniously fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns ended up selecting him with the 144th pick, and that was after quarterbacks like Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel came off the board.
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For added context, Cleveland grabbed Gabriel off the board with the 94th pick.
According to “The Herd” co-host Jason McIntyre, Sanders’ draft stock likely took a hit because of his father Deion’s big personality.
“I’m now thinking, NFL teams and front offices were like, ‘No thank you,’ precisely because of this,” McIntyre said regarding Hall of Famer Deion Sanders’ comments on a podcast about how his son was handled during the draft.
But it’s not where a player falls in the draft that decides if they can earn an accolade like Rookie of the Year. Instead, it’s where you end up during the season.
Should Shedeur Sanders start for the Browns?
And “The Herd” host Colin Cowherd likes Sanders’ chances to be named QB No. 1 in Cleveland.
“Despite the fact that Shedeur Sanders had the fewest attempts, he was the most efficient with the fewest reps,” Cowherd said as he compared quarterbacks on the Browns’ depth chart. “By a landslide, Shedeur Sanders should be starting.
“I think [Joe] Flacco is going to win the starting job initially. But I’m calling it for Shedeur,” he continued.
“With very average personnel [at Colorado] outside of Travis Hunter, against the very best teams he played, he was highly productive.”
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