Tom Brady Leads the NFL in Player Merchandise Sold

Tom Brady is no stranger to being number one. He is arguably the number one quarterback of all time, holds numerous passing records and used to be the league's highest paid player. The Patriots quarterback added a new number one today: for the first time in his illustrious career, he is the NFL's number one when it comes to quarterly player merchandise sold.

According to an NFL Players Association release, Brady is the league's undisputed champion when it comes to player-specific articles being from March 1 (the day the new league year and thus the NFL's new fiscal period began) through May 31. The NFLPA's release offers some context how the list is created:

The list, released quarterly by NFL Players Inc., the marketing and licensing arm of the NFLPA, is based on overall sales of all licensed products from online and traditional retail outlets as reported by more than 80 NFLPA licensees such as Nike, VF Imagewear, Fanatics, Outerstuff, Fathead, McFarlane Toys, Oyo Sports, Bleacher Creatures, FBF Originals, Forever Collectibles, FanPrint and Photo File. Licensed product categories include men’s, women’s and youth game jerseys and t-shirts, player murals, figurines, matted and framed photos, bobbleheads, drinkware, socks, jewelry, electronic device accessories, among others.

While specific numbers are not provided by the Players Association, we know that Brady leads the league in the sales of Oyo Sports mini figures, bobbleheads (with Rob Gronkowski checking it at number two), fatheads and headwear. He ranks second (behind 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick) when it comes to jersey sales. Brady's fans obviously support their quarterback in full force despite the DeflateGate scandal/farce.

Overall, the NFLPA's list is dominated by quarterbacks, with the top five players all being signal callers. Brady comes at number one, followed by Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP is not the only Patriot on the list. Rob Gronkowski sold the 14th most merchandise, Julian Edelman the 36th. Former Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis also is on the list, checking in at number 21. Those Jets fans who burned his jersey when the All-Pro cornerback signed with the Patriots last year, obviously feel the need to re-buy some apparel...