During the NFL offseason, only the top 51 contracts on a team's payroll count against the salary cap. Therefore, a player who is signed to a deal worth less than 51 other contract won't count against his team's cap—and a deal replacing a top-51 contracts will only add the difference to the salary total.

At about the time a different quarterback was drafted late in the third round, Shedeur Sanders decided to post a message on social media as he continued to wait for his name to be called. Sanders, who was largely projected a first-round pick in the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft,