Shedeur Sanders is preparing for his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns after being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders joined a crowded Browns quarterback room that was already comprised of 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco, 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel. The four men are expected to battle both to be Cleveland’s starting quarterback while also jockeying for position on the depth chart as whole.
While much of the focus surrounding Sanders is about his first season in Cleveland, the Browns aren’t the only professional football team that owns his rights. The Toronto Argonauts – a long-time member of the CFL – have Sanders on their negotiation list, meaning they are the only team that can sign the former Colorado quarterback should he ever want to play in the league.
Here’s what to know about the CFL’s negotiation list and why Sanders is one of many young, NFL quarterbacks on it.
Which CFL team owns rights to Shedeur Sanders?
The Toronto Argonauts currently own the exclusive CFL negotiation rights to Sanders. Should the current Browns quarterback ever want to play in Canada, he would have to negotiate a contract with Toronto to make that happen.
It isn’t clear how long the Argonauts have owned Sanders’ rights, as CFL teams are allowed to add college players to their negotiation lists. The league made the full negotiation lists public for the first time on Wednesday, July 2.
What is the CFL’s negotiation list?
Each of the CFL’s nine teams maintains a negotiation list of ‘up to 45 players who are currently either unsigned or are playing in the NFL, in another professional league, or in college,’ according to the CFL’s official website.
Teams hold the exclusive CFL negotiating rights to the players included on their lists. Players can be added or removed from the list at any time, and teams are also allowed to trade the rights to players on their negotiation lists to other clubs within the league.
Is Shedeur Sanders going to the CFL?
Just because Sanders is included on one of the CFL’s negotiation lists does not mean he is going to play in the league. It simply means the Argonauts will retain his CFL rights if he ever does decide to play north of the border.
But if Sanders accomplishes his goal and carves out a long-term NFL career, he will not join the Canadian league.
Other QBs on CFL’s negotiation list
Sanders is far from the only NFL quarterback on a CFL team’s negotiation list. Many of the league’s clubs stockpile the rights to high-end college quarterbacks and back-end NFL roster candidates in the hopes one will eventually decide to join their teams.
Sanders is among the most notable, with Saskatchewan Roughriders stash Trey Lance – the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft – also being among the best-know candidates on the combined lists.
Below is a look at the quarterbacks on the CFL’s negotiation list for all nine teams, along with their alma maters or the most recent college program for which they played.
BC Lions
Beau Brungard, Youngstown State
Ben DiNucci, James Madison
Noah Fifita, Arizona
Cole Gonzales, Western Carolina
Mikey Keene, Fresno State
Gevani McCoy, Oregon State
Chandler Morris, TCU
John Mateer, Washington State
CJ Montes, Fordham
Chris Oladokun, South Dakota State
Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State
Kaidon Salter, Liberty
Demond Williams Jr., Washington
Calgary Stampeders
Garrett Greene, West Virginia
Jake Haener, Fresno State
Tommy Mellott, Montana State
Ben Woolridge, Louisiana
Edmonton Elks
Byrum Brown, USF
Malik Cunningham, Louisville
Devon Dampier, New Mexico
Jalen Raynor, Arkansas State
Collin Schlee, Kent State
Jacob Zeno, UAB
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Thomas Castellanos, Boston College
Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Logan Fife, Montana
Adrian Martinez, Kansas State
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
Blake Shapen, Baylor
Kedon Slovis, Pitt
Montreal Alouettes
Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH)
Seth Henigan, Memphis
Josh Hoover, TCU
EJ Perry, Brown
Derek Robertson, Monmouth
Lindsey Scott, Incarnate Word
Ottawa Redblacks
Zach Annexstad, Illinois State
Zach Calzada, Incarnate Word
Matt Morrissey, Eastern Kentucky
Reese Poffenbarger, Albany
Drew Pyne, Bowling Green
Nick Vattiato, Middle Tennessee State
Kekoa Visperas, Eastern Washington
Hajj-Malik Williams, UNLV
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Anthony Brown, Oregon
Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
Andrew Edwards, Henderson State
Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Jordan McCloud, James Madison
Alex McGough, Florida International
Tanner Mordecai, SMU
Maverick McIvor, Abilene Christian
Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
John Rhys Plumlee, UCF
Will Rogers, Washington
Brayden Schager, Hawaii
Zach Zebrowski, Central Missouri
Toronto Argonauts
Jason Bean, Kansas
Max Duggan, TCU
Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
Jarrett Guarantano, Washington State
Kevin Jennings, SMU
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Matthew Sluka, James Madison
Donovan Smith, Houston
EJ Warner, Fresno State
Jake Willcox, Brown
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Ian Book, Notre Dame
Brady Cook, Missouri
Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State
Haynes King, Georgia Tech
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
To see the full negotiation lists for every team, click here.
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