Which NFL player sold the most merchandise over the past year?
There are a few ways to judge an NFL player’s popularity, but the amount of merchandise he sells might be the best way.
And if you believe that to be true, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the NFL’s most popular player. Again.
For the second straight season, Wilson led the NFL Players Association’s player sales list. That takes into account all officially licensed products, including jerseys, Fatheads, ugly sweaters and bobbleheads. Wilson led all players in jersey sales and ugly sweaters (I had no idea NFL ugly sweaters was actually a thing until this list was released … and I’m glad I didn’t).
Wilson’s rise to stardom is easy to track: He’s an exciting player, some fans probably relate to him overcoming odds to be a top quarterback at 5-foot-11, the Seahawks have won a ton with him and they have a fan base that loves to buy merchandise. Seahawks players like cornerback Richard Sherman (No. 7), running back Marshawn Lynch (No. 9), safeties Earl Thomas (No. 29) and Kam Chancellor (No. 30) also made the NFLPA’s list.
No. 2 behind Wilson isn’t a big surprise; it’s Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (he led all players in bobblehead sales). Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant was the top non-quarterback, checking in at No. 6. Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who wasn’t too impressive in two starts as a rookie last year, still finished No. 10 in sales. There are also a lot of people who bought LeSean McCoy’s Philadelphia Eagles gear only to have it rendered obsolete when McCoy was traded to the Buffalo Bills this offseason. McCoy ranked 14th on the NFLPA’s sales list.
Here’s the entire top 50 from NFLPA, based on sales from the 2015 fiscal year of March 1, 2014, through Feb. 28, 2015:
1. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
2. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
4. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
6. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
7. Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
8. J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
9. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
10. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
11. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
12. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
13. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
14. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
15. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
16. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers
17. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
18. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
19. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
20. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
21. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
22. Eli Manning, New York Giants
23. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
24. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
25. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
26. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
27. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
28. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
29. Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks
30. Kam Chancellor, Seattle Seahawks
31. Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
32. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
33. Victor Cruz, New York Giants
34. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
35. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
36. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
37. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
38. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
39. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
40. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
41. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
42. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
43. Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
44. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
45. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
46. Devon Still, Cincinnati Bengals
47. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
48. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
49. Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
50. Wes Welker, Denver Broncos
– – – – – – –
Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab