Whether Russell Wilson pays off for the Denver Broncos remains to be seen, but the quarterback has already paid off for Fanatics. The behemoth apparel company on Thursday released its top-selling NFL jerseys list as it typically does on the brink of the new season’s kickoff.
Instead of a typical top-five or top-10 jersey sales, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin posted a short video with an outline of the 50 states getting filled in by jerseys, each marking the bestseller in that state since the start of training camp.
And Wilson, whom the Seattle Seahawks traded in March, boasted the top-selling jersey in seven states, including Arizona, which, of course, has its own NFL team in the Arizona Cardinals. He naturally led in Colorado along with Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Alaska and Idaho. In his old stomping grounds of Washington state, his former target DK Metcalf now has the top seller.
“@DangeRussWilson leads with seven states, but @JoshAllenQB has the highest overall jersey sales since the start of training camp,” Rubin tweeted. He also noted that Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady is in the top five — presumably the top-five sales list.
The @NFL is back!! So cool to see the top selling jerseys at @Fanatics broken out by state. @DangeRussWilson leads with 7 states, but @JoshAllenQB has the highest overall jersey sales since the start of training camp, and no surprise that the 🐐 @TomBrady sits in the Top 5. pic.twitter.com/wM5Ek9R1ke
— Michael Rubin (@michaelrubin) September 8, 2022
Allen’s jersey is the No. 1 seller in the state of New York and, somewhat oddly, South Carolina. Allen went to school in Wyoming, so there is no college connection.
Rookies are usually high on these lists as it is the first chance for fans to scoop up their merchandise. But only one rookie is a current top seller: Aidan Hutchinson, the Michigan native who was drafted by the Detroit Lions. Only one quarterback went in the first round this year: Kenny Pickett to the Steelers.
In Pennsylvania, it’s not Pickett’s jersey but the cross-state Philadelphia Eagles’ receiver AJ Brown with the claim to the No. 1 seller. He is also the top seller in New Jersey and Delaware.
Not surprisingly, free agents and traded players, whose jerseys are new for fans, claimed many of the top spots including Wilson, Brown and, in Nevada, Davante Adams, who was traded to the Raiders in March after a stellar career in Green Bay. Baker Mayfield, whom the Cleveland Browns traded in July to the Carolina Panthers, is Fanatics’ No. 1 jersey in two states: North Carolina and Oklahoma, where he starred in college.
Patrick Mahomes cleaned up in the middle of the country, as the Kansas City Chiefs star QB’s jersey is the No. 1 seller in four states: Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s jersey is the No. 1 seller in Mississippi and Alabama but not in his home market of Texas. That nod goes to Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.
Brady’s is the No. 1-selling jersey in Florida, Utah and Arkansas. His former haunt of New England is dominated by Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, whose jersey is the No. 1 seller in Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
The Los Angeles Rams may be the Super Bowl champs and may have a stronger foothold in LA than their SoFi Stadium co-occupants, the Chargers, but that team’s quarterback, Justin Herbert, has the No. 1-selling jersey in California. Herbert also leads in Oregon, where he played in college.
Other notables:
• Louisianans are thrilled former LSU standout Tyrann Mathieu has returned to the state to play for the New Orleans Saints. He boasts the state’s top seller.
• Packers fans in Wisconsin are favoring the jersey of running back AJ Dillon. He is one of three running backs who are bestsellers, joining Titans back Derrick Henry in Tennessee and Colts star Jonathan Taylor in Indiana.
• New San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance may not be the No. 1 seller in California, but he is No. 1 in Hawaii.
• Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has the No. 1-selling jersey in Maryland and Virginia, while Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow has the top seller in Ohio and West Virginia.
• Hutchinson, Parsons and Mathieu are the only three defensive players to lead a state. Forty-three of the top sellers went to either quarterbacks or wide receivers, 44 if you count Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, whose jersey is the top seller in Georgia.
Fanatics is the official apparel company of the NFL. The players get a royalty for each jersey sold.
(Photo: Mark Konezny / USA Today)
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