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.

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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.

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

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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

Read More: Here’s the Highest-Paid NFL Player in Every Position

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

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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

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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

Read More: Career Earnings of Every Top NFL Pick Since 2000

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

Read More: The NFL Players Who Are the Smartest With Their Money

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

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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.