Things to Know About the Year-End NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List

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Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes II continued their seesaw atop the NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List – which reports sales of all officially licensed NFL player product – with Brady besting his counterpart on the year-end list. Either Brady or Mahomes has led the quarterly rankings 11 straight times since October 2018.

Brady’s historic dominance in retail includes topping the NFLPA’s year-end chart a record four times and appearing among the top three 23 times since the list was introduced in 2014.

The year-end rankings are based on sales from March 1 through February 28, 2021, the most up-to-date, comprehensive figures currently available. They are the only verified rankings of all officially licensed NFL player product sold from online and traditional retail outlets as reported by 75+ NFLPA licensees. Licensed product across hardline, apparel, digital, and unconventional categories include, among many others, adult and youth game jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies, bobbleheads, plush toys, socks, face coverings, headbands, figurines, wall decals, backpacks, pennants, photos, drinkware, and pet products. For a seventh consecutive year, NFLPA licensees generated record retail sales, with $2.17 billion.

Top 10 players among all officially licensed product sold:

  1. Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay
  2. Patrick Mahomes II, QB, Kansas City
  3. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore
  4. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami
  5. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay
  6. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati
  7. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle
  8. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco
  9. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo
  10. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas

Player Sales Highlights

  • Several players made leaps from the preseason to year-end rankings, highlighted by Alvin Kamara’s jump of 15 spots (No. 37 to No. 22) and Derrick Henry’s 14 spots (No. 40 to No 26). Stefon Diggs made his way back in the Top 50 after a year of success in his new market, Buffalo. Meanwhile, Travis Kelce soared 12 spots from the third quarter to his year-end ranking of No. 17. Tyreek Hill landed back among the Top 50 following strong fourth quarter sales.
  • Last year’s rookie class registered robust sales with five representatives, including Tua Tagovailoa (No. 4), Joe Burrow (No. 6), CeeDee Lamb (No. 19), Justin Herbert (No. 34) and Chase Young (No. 39).
  • Seven players climbed from the NFLPA Rising Stars to the year-end list – Joe Burrow, Chase Young, Tua Tagovailoa, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Herbert, Nick Chubb and DK Metcalf. The rankings, an early predictor for future Top 50 retail stars, considers on-field performance, early demand from partners, fantasy league status and new faces in strong markets as factors for sales popularity analysis.
  • CeeDee Lamb became the first rookie wide receiver to appear among the 20 best selling players on a year-end list since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2015.
  • Fans who followed the college careers of Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State) drove sales of the players’ collegiate co-branded jerseys from adidas, Nike, and Under Armour combined.
  • Tom Brady broke the Fanatics record for most jerseys sold in a single season. Additionally, the quarterback’s product accounted for 19% of all Tampa Bay Buccaneers championship sales in the four days after the Super Bowl.
  • Sales of JUNK’s athletic headbands were led by Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, Baker Mayfield, Tom Brady and George Kittle.
  • Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Tom Brady, Ezekiel Elliott and Russell Wilson sold the most player face coverings from FOCO.
  • Medical scrubs sales from new licensee, TiScrubs, were led by hometown star Patrick Mahomes and followed closely by Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Josh Allen.
  • Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson topped all sales of Funko Pop vinyl collectibles at year end.
  • SportsManias player emojis were a hit, with Tom Brady, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Philip Rivers, Baker Mayfield and Ezekiel Elliott representing the top five most widely used on the NFLPA keyboard this past year.
  • Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Ezekiel Elliott represented the top player signatures from Lids which fans affixed to New Era caps.
  • Tom Brady led all players in sales of Wincraft pins, koozies, posters and stickers. Joe Burrow. Patrick Mahomes, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce rounded out the top five.
  • Favorites in accessories and apparel from Pets First were Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Saquon Barkley and Russell Wilson.
  • Teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce drove sales of Hallmark’s Special Edition itty bittys plush products. For a third straight year, Mahomes’ holiday ornaments from Hallmark were a hit with fans by a wide margin.
  • The top five players in youth apparel sales from Outerstuff included Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, George Kittle and Russell Wilson.
  • The top 10 leaders in sales of commemorative coins, puzzles, and trains from Bradford Exchange appeared in the Tampa Bay vs. Kansas City Super Bowl, with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tom Brady, Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu representing the top five.
  • Sales of figurines and coins from MBI Inc. were driven by Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, Dak Prescott along with recently retired Julian Edelman.