Shedeur Sanders' contract vs. Cam Ward's contract: Comparing salaries of star QBs from 2025 NFL Draft

Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward were viewed as the best quarterbacks entering the 2025 NFL draft. Both players shone at the collegiate level and were seen as the cream of the crop for the major of the draft process.

However, only one of the two was selected in the first round. The Tennessee Titans selected Cam Ward with the first overall pick, while Shedeur Sanders slipped to the fifth round before the Cleveland Browns drafted him.

With the 2025 regular season in a couple of months, let's look at both high-profile rookie QBs' contracts and what to expect moving forward.

Comparing Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward's salaries after the 2025 NFL Draft

According to Spotrac, Shedeur Sanders will sign a four-year, $4.415 million contract with the Cleveland Browns, while Cam Ward will ink a four-year, $42.198 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. The disparity in their pay is due to the NFL's rookie scale.

First-round picks earn between $13.165 million and $42.198 million on their initial contract. The first overall pick earns the most with a payment package of $42.198 million. Cam Ward will earn $7.672 million in Year 1, $9.590 million in Year 2, $11.508 million in Year 3, and $13.426 million in Year 4.

Fifth-round picks earn between $4.3 and $4.4 million on their initial contract. Sanders, the 144th overall pick, will receive a package worth $4.415 million. The Colorado product will earn $927,656 in Year 1, $1.047 million in Year 2, $1.162 million in Year 3, and $1.277 million in Year 4.

What's next for Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward?

Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward enter their rookie campaigns with vastly contrasting expectations. Sanders is entering a crowded Cleveland Browns quarterback room with veterans Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett on its roster. They also selected Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round of this year's draft.

Sanders will look to beat out Flacco, Pickett, and Gabriel in order to start while Watson recovers from injury. Sanders has everything to prove after sliding so far in the draft, but he is in a QB room where he could fight his way into the starting role.

Ward has an easier path to starting for the Tennessee Titans. His major competition is Will Levis, and there's a chance that the Titans will look to trade him ahead of the 2025 campaign. Ward is expected to be the Week 1 starter, but the offseason is always full of surprises. If the Titans feel he is not quite NFL-ready, they could look to develop him from the bench initially.