Strategy March 20, 2018
Merch Watch: Carson Wentz Tops Tom Brady In Jersey Sales
The Philadelphia Eagles have again beaten the New England Patriots – this time in a battle for supremacy in NFL merchandise sales.
Just as the Eagles dethroned the Patriots as rulers of the football world by beating New England in Super Bowl LII this February, Carson Wentz has defeated Pats’ Quarterback Tom Brady as the NFL player with the best-selling jersey.
Carson Wentz jersey from the Official Eagles Pro Shop – A Fanatics Experience.
Wentz, of course, was the Eagles starting quarterback – and a frontrunner for league MVP, some would say – until he was felled by injury. Nonetheless, the fact that he missed the end of the regular season, the playoffs and the Super Bowl victory didn’t deter fans from snapping up his namesake replica with such abandon that the jersey became the league’s best seller, the NFL reported. The sales data spans Sept. 1 through Jan. 18. In recent years, Brady’s jersey has often ranked as the top seller.
To be fair, Brady, the five-time Super Bowl winner and the best QB of all time (He is. Deal with it.), didn’t miss the top spot by much. Gisele’s husband came in second to Wentz, sort of like he did to Wentz’s replacement, Eagles QB Nick Foles, in the Super Bowl. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Check out this report out to see a breakdown of the most popular jersey in each state.
Anyway, the rest of the official best-selling NFL jerseys list is viewable here.
The top ten is rounded out by: 3. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys. 4. Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers. 5. Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Dallas Cowboys. 6. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Packers. 7. Alejandro Villanueva, OT, Pittsburgh Steelers. 8. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots. 9. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings. 10. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks.
Beyond jerseys, overall NFL merchandise sales – jerseys, shirts, jackets, etc. -- performed strongly last season, rising 40%, according to Fanatics, the company that runs the NFL Shop. That increase came despite a 10% drop in television ratings.