I recently ran across Jack Jorgensen’s article on Ryan Kerrigan being in the Top 5 of NFL Defensive Player Jersey sales and was surprised to see Kerrigan that high. When he had last checked the DICK’S Sporting Goods Jersey Report, Kerrigan had climbed to No. 4 for the week and now, three days later, he is ranked No. 3. So I did a little more research and found that Kerrigan ranks Top 10 in defensive players for total season sales and fellow Purdue Boilermaker Drew Brees is Top 20 on the offensive side.
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Instead of going by weekly sales, I decided to stretch it out to the entire season, which I know we are only four weeks in, but it would provide a better picture of how popular the two Boilermakers are in the NFL.
Kerrigan ranks 38th in total jersey sales for the season, which isn’t bad since those rankings pit him against offensive players who are typically the “fan favorites.” When it comes to defensive players only jersey sales, Kerrigan ranks 6th right behind Richard Sherman.
The Washington Redskins sit 12th in total team jerseys sold and Kerrigan makes up 18 percent of those sold jerseys. He makes up 1 percent of total NFL jersey sales and is a big hit among men as they make up 67 percent of Ryan Kerrigan jersey purchasers.
Sep 28, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Brees has it a little tougher than Kerrigan as he has to go up against bigger names like Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson and Johnny Manziel. He ranks 22nd in overall jersey sales for the season and 19th in offensive player jersey sales.
He makes up 59 percent of total New Orleans Saints jersey sales, 1 percent of total NFL jersey sales and is pretty split when it comes to who buys his jerseys, with youth sales leading the way at 37 percent.
Brees has been a longtime fan favorite in the NFL, even when he was with the San Diego Chargers, but his fame has grown since he arrived in New Orleans and led the Saints to a Super Bowl victory. Having Kerrigan’s fame grow to where it is in less than four seasons is pretty incredible, but then again Kerrigan is a pretty incredible defensive player.