When it comes to earnings, the NFL is a quarterbacks’ league – the top earners by both salary and endorsements are almost all quarterbacks, but why? With 53 players on a team, the majority of endorsements can only go to a handful of players, and that selection will be of the ones who set the most records and get the most public exposure.
On top of the volume of players, there’s a visual element to address when it comes to the marketability of football. Helmets inhibit a viewer’s ability to clearly recognize players’ faces, making it less likely that they’ll immediately recognize them when their face pops up in a commercial.
Despite these nuances, the NFL still puts athletes in a great position for massive endorsement deals, perhaps because the players who earn fan loyalty and make it big, make it really big. Let’s learn more about the top 10 most lucrative NFL endorsement deals.
10. Matt Ryan
9. J.J. Watt
8. Eli Manning
7. Aaron Rodgers
6. Russell Wilson
5. Tom Brady
4. Cam Newton
3. Peyton Manning
2. Drew Brees
1. Odell Beckham Jr
The combined total value of all these NFL endorsements is an eye popping $118.5 million. While the NBA’s largest endorsement deals are often shoe brands, it seems as though NFL players are often bringing home big money from insurance and car companies. Recent record-breaking deals like Odell Beckham Jr.’s $29 million Nike deal, however, show more promise for NFL athletes, who haven’t historically received nearly as much in endorsements as their NBA and MLB counterparts. Perhaps this next decade will see a rise in record-setting, multi-million-dollar endorsement deals for these pro football stars.