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The National Football League Players Association's fiscal year wrapped up recently, and the group has crunched some numbers breaking down which players' merchandise sold the most over the past year, which covers the 2013 football season.
Not surprisingly, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ranked 5th for fiscal year 2014, and he was one of nine quarterbacks in the top 10. The top spot is a bit of a surprise, though, as the Seahawks' Russell Wilson took over at number one ahead of Peyton Manning. Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III were 3rd and 4th, respectively.
Joining Rodgers on the list were fellow Packers Clay Matthews in 14th place and wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who was 43rd out of 50. Matthews was the highest-ranked linebacker, and in fact only two defensive players in the entire league were ranked higher than Matthews - Houston defensive end J.J. Watt was in the 11th spot and cornerback Richard Sherman from Seattle was 12th. As for wide receivers, Nelson ranked ninth behind expected players like Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant, but also some slight surprises like Wes Welker and Miles Austin.
Considering that the Packers' home market is so small, the fact that there are three Packers in the top 50 of all NFL merchandise sales and two in the top 15 says volumes about the team's worldwide fan base and appeal. If they can make a deep run in next year's playoffs, you can expect those numbers to continue to rise, and perhaps another player like Eddie Lacy may make an appearance on next year's list.