Shedeur Sanders to wear No. 12 with Browns, at least for now

Shedeur Sanders has become synonymous with the No. 2 over the years. He wore that number during his days as a high school football star in Texas. He continued to wear that number when he played for Jackson State and Colorado. He was even the No. 2 quarterback selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, the new Browns quarterback will get accustomed to a new number, at least in his first few months with his new team. Sanders will wear No. 12 for the Browns during offseason practices through the end of training camp, the team announced Tuesday.

The announcement of Sanders' jersey number came as teams around the NFL unveiled what jersey numbers their respective rookies would wear. Defensive tackle Mason Graham, who the Browns took with the fifth overall pick following a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, will wear No. 95. Dillon Gabriel, who the Browns took in the third round before drafting Sanders, will wear No. 5. 

Elsewhere, Sanders' former Colorado teammate Travis Hunter will wear No. 12, keeping the number he wore in college. It was previously announced that Hall of Famer Warren Moon would let No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward wear his old jersey number (No. 1). 

Third overall pick Abdul Carter, meanwhile, has been in a bit of a jersey dilemma with the New York Giants. He requested to wear Lawrence Taylor's No. 56 and Phil Simms' No. 11, but both former players turned down Carter's request to unretire their numbers for him.

Prior to Tuesday's announcement, Sanders had the top-selling rookie jersey among rookies in the 2025 NFL Draft even though it hadn't been known what his number would be. Many presumed it would be No. 2, but recently signed wide receiver and return specialist DeAndre Carter got his hands on that number early in the offseason.

Sanders had made the jersey No. 2 a big part of his branding during his time in college. He sold t-shirts and hoodies that read "2Legendary" on the front, often wearing that gear for pregame warm-ups.

Now with his jersey number in place, Sanders will be set to compete for Cleveland's starting quarterback job. However, a fifth-round pick (No. 144 overall), Sanders will likely be entrenched in a battle for a roster spot, too.

Sanders' quest to make the final 53-man roster and potentially become the team's starting quarterback could start as early as this weekend, when the Browns host their rookie minicamp. If Sanders winds up making the final 53-man roster, he could wind up changing his number, too.

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