The NFLPA filed their annual marketing and royalties report with the Department of Labor this week, and interestingly, retired quarterback Peyton Manning held the top spot, earning a cool $3.35 million in the year ending February 29, 2020.
That’s a pretty substantial amount of money for someone who isn’t playing — the only such player to crack the top 10 — but not what this story is about.
A few spots below Manning was New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who checked in at No. 5 overall, earning $2.34 million in marketing and royalties.
Quarterbacks tend to dominate these lists, but there are a handful of non-throwers who earn a healthy income from group licensing. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley earned $2.4 million, up from $1.2 million the year before.
Although retired Giants quarterback Eli Manning didn’t crack the top 10, he did earn $621,000 in group licensing in his final season, which was almost double what he had earned a year prior.
Other notable players in the top 10 include Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who checked in at No. 2 overall with $2.99 million in earnings, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who earned $2.78 million, which was good enough for No. 3 overall.
Barkley was the top-earning non-quarterback, and was the only running back in the top 10. Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott earned $1.01 million, which landed him in the No. 11 spot.
