NFL fans are plotting revenge against the league after being left furious over Shedeur Sanders’ unprecedented draft freefall.
Sanders, once projected to be a top-five pick, suffered humiliation last week when he fell not only out of the first round of the NFL Draft but continued to tumble all the way down to the fifth.
The former Colorado quarterback – and son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders – was eventually taken with the 144th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns but the damage was already done.
The slide – one of the worst in NFL history – sparked outrage from fans, former players, analysts and even President Donald Trump.
Now, football fans have revealed their plans to retaliate against the league where it will hurt: Merchandise sales.
Some of Sanders’ defenders have pledged to boycott the signal caller’s official NFL jersey, instead buying merchandise directly from his website to ensure he’s the only one profiting from his name.
Shedeur Sanders, once projected to be a top-five pick, suffered humiliation in the NFL Draft
Now, football fans have revealed their plans to retaliate against the league over the snub
Fans have vowed to boycott the NFL’s official Sanders jersey sales for ‘trying to play him’
‘Shoutout to Shedeur Sanders for making it to the Cleveland Browns, but guess what, we are not supporting the NFL for the way they tried to play with you,’ one TikTok user said in a video that has gone viral after being shared across multiple social media platforms.
‘Any merch that this young man drops, we are buying it from him. We are not buying no jersey with his name on the back.
‘Anything Shedeur drops, we’re buying it directly from him, from his page… If the Browns come to a city near you, and you want to support him, go shop on his website.’
The idea has spread like wildfire, with many fans supporting the video and vowing to join the boycott.
However, the effects of the protest have yet to kick in. Ahead of a long list of first-round elections, as of Monday Sanders sat at No. 3 in NFL jersey sales from this year’s draft class.
He came in behind only former Colorado teammate and Jacksonville Jaguars two-way phenom Travis Hunter and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, who topped the jersey charts in first and second respectively.
Furthermore, Sanders appears to already be boosting the NFL’s viewership before he’s even suited up for the Browns.
His subsequent tumble from Day 1 to Day 3 of the draft appears to have buoyed ratings for the event’s later rounds. According to a league statement, an average of 7.3 million viewers watched second- and third-round coverage on Friday night, which marked a 40-percent increase from 2024.
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) April 27, 2025
Sanders’ father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, believed he warranted a top-five draft pick
Donald Trump (right) hit out at NFL owners over Sanders’ (left) snub in the draft
Read More Brutal reality check for Shedeur Sanders as Browns rookie and GM break their silence on epic NFL Draft tumble
That makes it the second largest Day 2 audience ever, although it’s worth noting the NFL had a two-day format prior to 2010, so the sample size is somewhat limited.
The first-round coverage averaged 13.6 million viewers across television and digital platforms, according to the league and Nielsen. Not only is that an 11-percent increase, but it was the second-most watched first round on record behind 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sanders had been tipped by many – including his father – to be top-five pick but wasn’t chosen by anyone at all on Thursday and his misery continued during the second and third rounds.
Entering Friday night, many expected Sanders to be taken with the first pick of the second round by the Cleveland Browns. Instead, the Browns pᴀssed on him at picks 33 and 36.
Then, in a complete shock, the New Orleans Saints selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the 40th pick.
Then, with the 28th pick of the third round and the 92nd pick overall, the Seattle Seahawks chose Alabama’s Jalen Milroe in a stunner.
But then two picks later, in perhaps the most staggering development of the night, the Browns took a quarterback by selecting Dillon Gabriel, the Oregon gunslinger. Gabriel had been projected by Kiper as the eighth best quarterback in the draft class.
Sanders was finally put out of his misery on Saturday afternoon, when the Browns selected the ex-Colorado star with the sixth pick of the fifth round. That put an end to one of the most stunning sagas in the history of the NFL Draft.
