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When it comes to generating licensed retail sales, quarterbacks dominate the playing field.
Quarterbacks dominated this year’s NFPLA top 50 players list, taking nearly half of the top 50 slots with 46% share in the 2018-19 season—with six of the top 10 players occupying that position. They were followed by wide receivers (20%), of whom Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers was the highest ranked (No. 8). Running backs (14%) were led by Barkley (No. 3). Rounding out the list was the defensive side, with linebackers (8%) led by top-1o contender Khalil Mack (Chicago Bears). Aaron Donald (No. 49, Los Angeles Rams) is the first DT to make the list—ever.
Here’s a quick key to every position referenced in this story. As a quick rule of thumb, the offensive players usually stand out the most and therefore generate more sales.
Offensive
- Quarterback (QB)
- Running back (RB)
- Tight end (TE)
- Wide receiver (WR)
Defensive
- Cornerback (CB)
- Defensive back (DB)
- Defensive end (DE)
- Defensive tackle (DT)
- Linebacker (LB)
- Strong safety (SS)
And this year wasn’t an exception. For all the years the NFLPA has been tracking such data, the quarterback has been leading the pack.