Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the NFL’s top player for licensed sales this year, Forbes reports, citing the NFL Players Inc. Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers were number two and three respectively.
Wilson led the Seahawks’ to its first Super Bowl title in franchise history in February when Seattle crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8. Wilson’s meteoric rise put him atop the NFLPI’s standings of total overall licensed product sales for the past season (he ranked No. 19 the previous year). Wilson had also topped the third quarter rankings of best-selling players. Leading his team to the Super Bowl only accentuated the gap with the rest of the league, according to Steve Scebelo, NFLPI’s vice president of licensing and business development. “He absolutely is a national player. His product is selling everywhere,†Scebelo told Forbes.
While Wilson generates millions for the NFL, he is set to earn only $662,434 this coming season after banking $526,217 in playing salary last year. His low pay is a function of the 2011 NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states that rookie contracts cannot be renegotiated until three seasons have passed. So despite his star status, Wilson is locked into a salary that ranks third among quarterbacks on the Seahawks roster–behind Terrelle Pryor and Tavaris Jackson.
The NFLPI ranking is based on total overall licensed product sales for the past season. This is the first time the player group has released year-end rankings of the best-selling players across all categories. Sales include jerseys, T-shirts, photos, bobbleheads and other accessories sold by 70 NFLPI licensees such as Nike, Fanatics, Fathead, and McFarlane Toys. Total licensed product sales surpassed $1 billion between March 2013 and February 2014.
Here are the Top 50 NFL Players Sales Rankings
1. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
2. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
3. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
4. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
6. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
7. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
8. Eli Manning, New York Giants
9. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
10. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
11. J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
12. Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
13. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
14. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers
15. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
16. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
17. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
18. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
19. Arian Foster, Houston Texans
20. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
21. Victor Cruz, New York Giants
22. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
23. Wes Welker, Denver Broncos
24. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
25. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
26. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
27. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
28. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
29. DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys
30. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
31. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
32. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
33. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
34. Austin Miles, Dallas Cowboys
35. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
36. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
37. Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
38. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
39. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
40. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
41. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
42. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
43. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
44. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
45. Von Miller, Denver Broncos
46. Eric Decker, Denver Broncos
47. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
48. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
49. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
50. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers