The 15 NFL Players Who Make the Most Money From Endorsements

It pays to be an NFL quarterback. And companies that quarterbacks sell, too.

Signal callers dominate the list of 15 NFL players who made the most money from endorsements in 2020, GOBankingRates has found. Eleven of the 15 are quarterbacks, with two running backs and two receivers rounding out the list. It doesn’t pay to play defense, apparently.

Did You Know: Here’s How Rich Every NFL Team Is

The average in endorsements for 2020 is impressive, at $4.7 million per year. However, that’s only a small part of the average total of earnings of $34.95 million for these players. It’s important to note that the endorsement and salary information for this list came from Forbes’ 2020 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, which used earnings information from June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2020.

The top three players on the list are no surprise, as they’re among the biggest names in sports. However, the distance between the top three and the rest of the list is unexpected. Read on to see the list.

Last updated: April 9, 2021

15. Ben Roethlisberger

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 91
2020 Endorsement Money: $1 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $23 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $22 million

Did You Know: 13 NFL Players Who Lost Millions

14. Amari Cooper

Team: Dallas Cowboys
Position: WR
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 75
2020 Endorsement Money: $1 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $24.9 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $23.9 million

Find Out: Which NFL Hall of Famer Has the Highest Net Worth?

13. Derek Carr

Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 99
2020 Endorsement Money: $2 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $22 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $20 million

12. Ezekiel Elliott

Team: Dallas Cowboys
Position: RB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 89
2020 Endorsement Money: $2 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $23.3 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $21.3 million

Find Out: The 25 Richest NFL Team Owners

11. Jared Goff

Team: Los Angeles Rams
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 15
2020 Endorsement Money: $2 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $49 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $47 million

Did You Know: 27 Richest No. 1 NFL Draft Picks

10. Kirk Cousins

Team: Minnesota Vikings
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 9
2020 Endorsement Money: $2.5 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $60.5 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $58 million

Fun Facts: The Highest-Selling Football Memorabilia of All Time

9. Marcus Mariota

Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 83
2020 Endorsement Money: $3 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $23.9 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $20.9 million

Read More: The Richest Athletes in the World

8. Christian McCaffrey

Team: Carolina Panthers
Position: RB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 63
2020 Endorsement Money: $3 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $26.5 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $23.5 million

Find Out: The 50 Best Rookie Deals in NFL History

7. Julio Jones

Team: Atlanta Falcons
Position: WR
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 26
2020 Endorsement Money: $3 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $40.5 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $37.5 million

6. Carson Wentz

Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 10
2020 Endorsement Money: $4 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $59.1 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $55.1 million

Learn More: What NFL Teams Are Making With Limited Fan Capacity

5. Cam Newton

Team: New England Patriots
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 97
2020 Endorsement Money: $5.5 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $22.2 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $16.7 million

4. Matt Ryan

Team: Atlanta Falcons
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 47
2020 Endorsement Money: $5.5 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $29.5 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $24 million

Find Out: The Biggest Bargain on Every NFL Roster

3. Aaron Rodgers

Team: Green Bay Packers
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 45
2020 Endorsement Money: $9 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $30.1 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $21.1 million

Read More: 27 Richest No. 1 NFL Draft Picks

2. Tom Brady

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 21
2020 Endorsement Money: $12 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $45 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $33 million

Find Out: How Much Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Other QBs Make Per Career TD Thrown

1. Drew Brees

Team Played For: New Orleans Saints
Position: QB
Overall Forbes Highest-Paid Athlete Rank: 22
2020 Endorsement Money: $15 million
Total 2020 Earnings: $44.8 million
2020 Salary/Winnings: $29.8 million

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: In order to discover the 15 NFL players who make the most money from endorsements, GOBankingRates looked at Forbes’ “Highest Paid Athletes of 2020” data and isolated all NFL players included. With these 31 NFL players isolated, GOBankingRates found the following data or each: (1) 2020 money earned from endorsements; (2) total overall money earned in 2020; and (3) 2020 money earned from salary/winnings. All players with above $1 million earned in endorsements were included in the final list. GOBankingRates also used Pro-Football Reference to find supplemental data on each player such as (4) team played for and (5) position. All data was collected on and up to date as of Dec. 15, 2020.