Colts' Anthony Richardson Could Dominate NFL Rookie Retail Sales

In an annual list of retail expectancy for NFL rookies and veterans, Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson finds his name at the top of the list.

Every NFL fan loves their jerseys, and Indianapolis Colts die-hards will be no different with new quarterback Anthony Richardson’s threads this upcoming season.

In a recent list from NFL Players Inc. (the marketing and licensing entity of the NFLPA), there are ten rookies and ten veterans who are believed to make a serious impact on NFL player product sales. As the NFLPA’s letter announcement states, “This top spot has been dominated by Tom Brady for years, but these players have the potential to challenge his reign and claim that coveted position.”

While Richardson will be a rookie and won’t impact the veteran side of things, he could down the road once his NFL career starts having some tread on the tires.

Per the NFLPA, various factors go into these rankings:

The rankings consider various factors that contribute to early sales popularity. These factors include on-field performance, early demand for content and marketing from NFLPA partners, fantasy league status, collegiate name, image and likeness deals, the players’ existing reach to a massive audience of fans, participation in Rookie Premiere, product submissions from over 90 NFLPA licensees, support from team fan bases, and emerging talent in strong markets.

Below is the list of the top 10 rookies that are believed to have a big part in the rookie merchandise sales numbers from first to last:

1. Anthony Richardson, QB – Indianapolis Colts

2. Bijan Robinson, RB – Atlanta Falcons

3. Bryce Young, QB – Carolina Panthers

4. C.J. Stroud, QB – Houston Texans

5. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR – Seattle Seahawks

6. Will Anderson Jr., DE – Houston Texans

7. Zay Flowers, WR – Baltimore Ravens

8. Jalin Hyatt, WR – New York Giants

9. Jordan Addison, WR – Minnesota Vikings

10. Joey Porter Jr., CB – Pittsburgh Steelers

With the recent quarterback history of the Colts and how it’s been laid out, this isn’t entirely surprising that Richardson is at the top of the rookie list.

After the departure of Andrew Luck in 2019, there was a swinging door at QB for the Colts. Since 2019, there has been a feeling in the air the Colts faithful wanted someone new and fresh under center to don the horseshoe. Now that the fans have their rookie, the jerseys and merchandise can be shown all over Lucas Oil Stadium.

Mix in the hype behind what Richardson could be capable of in a new Shane Steichen-led offense, and it’s not hard to see why there is the thinking that Colts fans will go nuts for Richardson’s jersey, hat, shirts, etc. There will also be stadium cups, banners, and other forms of merchandise that can be sold, leading to the possibility that Richardson’s face will be all over Indianapolis.

Richardson’s hype only continues to grow before he takes an NFL snap. For Indianapolis, this is a good thing. For too long now, the quarterback position has been full of stress and departures but hardly any youth and excitement.

Finally, things have changed, and even the projections for NFL merchandise believe that there’s a tide turning in the belief behind Richardson. A belief that is strong enough to potentially bring a cascade of number 5s in blue and white on Sundays in Lucas Oil.

---

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and Twitter.