Brady has top spot on NFLPA top 50 player sales list

By AP
Published

NEW YORK (AP) NFL training camps have been open for less than a week and Tom Brady is already on top of the league once again.

The Patriots' superstar quarterback ranks No. 1 in merchandise sales in a list compiled by the NFL players union.

The list is based on total sales of all officially licensed NFL player merchandise tracking year-to-date results from March 1 to May 31.

Brady, who won his record fifth Super Bowl in February, was joined at the top of the list by Dallas Cowboys teammates running back Ezekiel Elliott (No. 2) and quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 3). Two more Cowboys were also in the top 10 in wide receiver Dez Bryant (No. 6) and tight end Jason Witten (No. 10).

Colin Kaepernick came in at 39th on the list, the only player in the top 50 who's not on a team.

Kaepernick, the starter in San Francisco's Super Bowl appearance after the 2012 season, made waves in 2016 when he decided to sit and then kneel during the national anthem before games. He played 12 games for the 49ers last year, throwing 16 TD passes against just four interceptions. But he has yet to find a home for the upcoming season.

Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch, who returned to the league after a one-year absence, was at No. 4 and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson rounded out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 included Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (No. 7), Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (No. 8), and Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (No. 9), who cracked the top 10 for the first time.

''It's really an honor to not only be on this list, but be among the top 10 players,'' Brown said in a statement.

''Being a part of Steelers Nation means having some of the best fan support in the league. But more than that, this list shows just how passionate fans of all players are.''

The top 50 player sales list is released quarterly by the NFLPA, via its licensing and marketing arm NFL Players Inc. It is based on overall sales of all NFL player licensed products via online and traditional retail outlets.

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