A bit of a surprising number
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy became a very rich young man the day he put pen to paper on his Minnesota Vikings contract. You knew that already. However, in a story that comes as a bit of a surprise, McCarthy has already managed to pad that number even more despite missing all of his rookie season with an injury.
John Breech of CBS Sports is reporting that McCarthy pulled in $4 million in licensing royalties last year, despite not playing a meaningful down. That was the highest number not just among rookies or among Vikings players, but the highest figure in the entire NFL as he was the only player to reach the $4 million plateau.
How did he manage to do that? Well, Breech’s story has a pretty logical explanation.
The 12-month earnings period ended on Feb. 28, 2025, which means a solid chunk of their royalties were made during the 2024 season. Of course, McCarthy didn’t play a single snap during the 2024 season, so you might be wondering how he was able to pull in $4 million worth of royalties. For one, his jersey was likely a hot-seller. With a player like Patrick Mahomes, most fans who want his jersey already have one, but that’s not the case with rookies. Fans weren’t able to go out and buy McCarthy’s jersey until after the Vikings made him the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy was also coming off a college national title at Michigan, so it’s not hard to see why his jersey might have been popular.
We all know that folks were plenty hyped for McCarthy’s debut, as the fans of this franchise have been waiting for a long-term answer at quarterback for what seems like forever. Still, it seems a little strange to see him top the list ahead of guys who were hyped up like Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels were.
McCarthy’s $4 million was a full $750,000 ahead of the second-place finisher on the list, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce’s numbers were, undoubtedly, helped by the fact that he’s dating. . .ummmmm. . .whatshername. I think she’s a dancer or something, I don’t know.
Almost as surprising as McCarthy is the fact that one of the players in this year’s top five hasn’t played a snap since the end of the 2015 season. That would be Peyton Manning, who still managed to haul in $2.2 million in royalties despite not taking the field for about a decade.
So, congratulations to J.J. McCarthy on being the NFL league leader in royalty money for this past season. In a few years when McCarthy and the Vikings are negotiating his mega contract extension, that $4 million will be just a drop in the bucket.