The percentage of jersey sales an NFL player gets around 67% of the revenue. The players also receive royalties from the proceeds as per the 2021 agreement.
We as fans always want to get our hands on the jersey of our favorite players or teams whenever the new NFL season kicks off. The teams keep changing their playing uniforms from time to time and we want to have it.
The selling of jerseys and other merchandise is one of the major sectors of any sporting team and its business. Every team wants to sell as much merchandise as possible as it contributes toward the team’s overall revenue.
The player’s percentage from jersey sales is not as simple as in European soccer leagues where players make a direct cut from the sales depending on their individual contract agreements.
The agreement in regards to the NFL is slightly different.
How Much Do NFL Players Make From Jersey Sales
NFL players get a cut of two-thirds of the revenue generated by jersey sales as of the 2021 agreement between the NFLPA, the player’s union, and the league.
The player also gets paid royalties for the number of jerseys with their initials and numbers that are sold. The NFLPA decides as to how much royalty the players get.
The royalties add up to huge figures for the players and are somewhat of a bonus in their yearly earnings. According to The Athletic, Zach Wilson received $465,660 as royalty in 2022.
Back in 2018, Tom Brady received a mammoth $2.35 million in royalties in “group licensing” endorsement. Not every player makes millions in royalties but they do make quite a lot. Similarly, Dak Prescott took home $2 million.
The union on the other hand gets a cut of the final third of the revenue generated by the sales of the jersey. The NFLPA also uses the revenue into a pool that will benefit all players.
It means that players who aren’t so popular and have low jersey sales will also be making some money out of it.
The players when under contract surrender their publicity rights to the club they represent and the league. It will be further used for promotions.
The NFLPA also gets the exclusive rights to use the players’ names, nicknames, jersey numbers, and more for additional promotions and sales.
Since the jerseys are always branded with the team logos, sponsors, and the NFL logo, the players can not use them for commercial purposes as they have already let go of the rights to do so.
NFL Jersey Sales By Player
NFL player jersey sales are led by Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles as of August 2023. The Eagles quarterback has his jerseys priced at $129.99.
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills was the highest seller last season and legendary QB Tom Brady is the all-time leader in jersey sales.
The top 10 selling jerseys of August 2023 are:
- Jalen Hurts #1
- Micah Parsons #11
- Aaron Rodgers #8
- Patrick Mahomes #15
- Jason Kelce #62
- Justin Jefferson #18
- Josh Allen #17
- Kenny Pickett #8
- Sauce Gardner #1
- Christian McCaffrey #23
Hurts’ jersey is also the season leader of 2023 for now as the top-selling player jersey. Aaron Rodgers’ No. 8 jersey is ranked second.
Tom Brady’s jersey has had the most sales in the NFL and it is not surprising. He is among the most famous personalities that ever played in the league.
Although he retired after the 2022 season, he still ranks 8th among the top-selling jerseys for the current season. Justin Fields did not feature on the list for the month of August but is ranked just above Brady in the list of season leaders.
Travis Kelce of the Chiefs will soon be making the list as his jersey sales have spiked up by 400% on Fanatics since Sunday. He is in competition with his QB Mahomes.
NFL Profit Sharing
NFL profit sharing had each team taking a share of $372 million from the national revenue of the NFL. The league generated a record $11.9 billion in 2022.
According to Forbes, the national revenue had an increase of 7% from 2021. Each team received $347 million in 2021 and the revenue has been increasing at a steady pace. It has grown 68% since 2016.
There are many ways the NFL makes money throughout the year. National media are the major contributors to the league’s revenue as they made up 67% in 2022.
The NFL generated $12.3 billion alone from the various media contracts in 2022.
NFL media deals in 2022:
- CBS – $2.3 billion
- NBC – $2.0 billion
- Fox – $2.1 billion
- ESPN – $2.7 billion
- Amazon – $1.2 billion
- YouTube – $2.0 billion
In comparison to other major leagues in the United States, the NFL topped the list in terms of media rights. The MLB is second with $5.2 billion, the NBA with $3.0 billion, and the MLS with $1.2 billion.
All the major deals with the media powerhouses are through 2033. Amazon’s media rights will expire in 2032 and YouTube will have to come up with another offer after their deal ends in 2029.
NFL Teams By Revenue
The Dallas Cowboys generated $1.14 billion in revenue in 2022 ranking them first in the list of NFL teams by revenue. They are valued at $9 billion as of 2023.
No stopping @ricodowdle on his way to paydirt 💰
📺: FOX & NFL+ ➡️ https://t.co/yLMhJNTZjs pic.twitter.com/8Q5TRFMuk8
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 24, 2023
The revenue generated by NFL teams in 2022:
- New England Patriots – $684 million
- Los Angeles Rams – $686 million
- New York Giants – $639 million
- Chicago Bears – $556 million
- Las Vegas Raiders – $729 million
- New York Jets – $560 million
- Washington Commanders – $545 million
- San Francisco 49ers – $622 million
- Philadelphia Eagles – $598 million
- Miami Dolphins – $600 million
- Houston Texans – $605 million
- Denver Broncos – $563 million
- Seattle Seahawks – $555 million
- Atlanta Falcons – $544 million
- Minnesota Vikings – $540 million
- Baltimore Ravens – $544 million
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $548 million
- Cleveland Browns – $545 million
- Green Bay Packers – $577 million
- Tennessee Titans – $516 million
- Indianapolis Colts – $545 million
- Kansas City Chiefs – $540 million
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $531 million
- Los Angeles Chargers – $518 million
- Carolina Panthers – $530 million
- New Orleans Saints – $533 million
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $517 million
- Arizona Cardinals – $500 million
- Buffalo Bills – $503 million
- Detroit Lions – $495 million
- Cincinnati Bengals – $498 million
The Cowboys also have an operating income of $504 million which is by far the best in the league. The closest to them are the Giants who have an operating income of $216 million.
The average revenue of all 32 teams has increased by 8% and is now $581 million. The average team worth of the teams is now valued at $5.1 billion and took a 14% jump from last year.
The major reason once again is the media deals and the sale of the Washington Commanders for a whopping $6.05 billion. The numbers are expected to grow more in 2024 as well due to the TV deals and changes in debt limits.
The teams also generate about $200 million in revenue from various other events that are not in any way related to the NFL. The stadiums host concerts and other shows which is a good form of revenue.