It seems like we see the same faces every year at the top of the sales charts when it comes to NFL jerseys, but you’d be surprised when you take a look at the top 5 for the most recent NFL season, as there’s a new #1 seller this year as well as a rookie cracking the top 5.
The #1 selling jersey for the most recent year was Troy Polamalu, Defensive Back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This marks the first time in five years that a player on the defensive side of the ball is the top-selling jersey, since Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears held the top spot in 2006. Maybe it’s his wild hair that attracts fans, or likely his hard-nosed style of play – he always seems to be in on every tackle and causes nightmares for opposing Quarterbacks and Offensive Coordinators alike. Most of all, I’d have to guess that the hordes of Steeler Nation, one of the largest and most rabid fanbases in the league, has a lot to do with Polamalu’s jersey flying off the shelves.
The #2 selling jersey is none other than Drew Brees, which should come as no surprise. His New Orleans Saints had a dream season in 2009-2010, winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl, with Brees taking home the Super Bowl MVP trophy and tying the Super Bowl record of 32 pass completions in the game. Add in his appearance on the cover of EA’s Madden Football ’11 and being named the 2010 “Sportsman of the Year” by Sports Illustrated, and it’s easy to see why his jersey sold so well.
The #3 jersey for the 2010-2011 season is a new face in the NFL, former Florida Gator and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, now a Quarterback for the Denver Broncos. It’s hard to not like Tim Tebow. As he proclaimed in his now-famous post-game speech following a loss to Mississippi during his career at Florida, you will not find a harder worker or better teammate out there. Having missed the playoffs the last 5 years, Broncos fans are clinging to Tebow as the future of the franchise, and I’m sure Denver has picked up a mass of new fans from Florida, cheering on their favorite Gator in the NFL.
The #4 selling jersey is Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. This guy can do it all. Manning has won the league MVP four times (a record) and has led the Colts to two Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears and taking home the Super Bowl MVP trophy in the process. Manning is at or near the top in every quarterback statistics and is one of the most consistent players in the league, carrying a less than stellar Colts roster on his back the last couple years.
New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady rounds out the top five. Tom Brady has it all – three Super Bowl rings, two league MVP trophies, and a smoking hot supermodel wife. Pretty incredible for a guy who was picked 199th overall (sixth round) in the 2000 NFL draft, easily the biggest steal in NFL draft history.