After just one season of NFL play, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is already in elite company when it comes to jersey sales.
The National Football League Players Association listed the top 50 players according to jersey sales, with Tagovailoa coming in at fourth on the list.
He’s trailing only Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
The list looks at sales spanning from March 1, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021.
Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl championship in February, marking the seventh time his team has captured the league’s top prize.
Mahomes faced off against Brady in February’s Super Bowl, the second year in a row that he and the Kansas City Chiefs played in the contest. One year earlier, Mahomes and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, with Mahomes also capturing the game’s MVP award.
Jackson emerged in 2019 for the Baltimore Ravens by winning league MVP honors, combining passing and running skills. While his numbers dropped somewhat last year, he remains a dual threat for the Ravens.
With that sort of competition, it’s somewhat surprising for Tagovailoa to be among the most popular players when it comes to jersey sales.
Tagovailoa started nine games as a rookie last season and nearly led the Dolphins to a playoff spot, finishing with 1,814 yards passing and 11 touchdown passes.
Those numbers came as a result of Dolphins coaches trying to allow Tagovailoa to develop at the professional level and also protect him as he came back from major hip surgery.
For the 2021 campaign, Tagovailoa’s numbers will likely improve, which means that one year from now, he may crack the top three on a similar list.
A breakout season could even vault him into the top spot, though the regular season won’t get going until September.
