The Players That Mastered the Media, Landed the Endorsements, and Influenced the Culture to Control the Narrative in 2025
Everybody loves stats, touchdowns, and highlight reels.
But in 2025, the NFL wasn’t just won on Sundays, it was won in media rooms, endorsement decks, podcasts, and social feeds.
After analyzing social media influence rankings, endorsement portfolios, media presence, and marketing impact across the 2025 NFL landscape, one thing is clear:
Visibility beat performance more often than not.
This ranking is not about yards or team records. It’s about who understood the assignment, controlled the story, owned the mic, and dominated the room.
CTRL THE NARRATIVE
Who framed the story and kept public attention locked in
Top 12 NFL Players Who Won Media, PR, and Marketing in 2025
1. Travis Kelce – TE Kansas City Chiefs
The undisputed media king of 2025. His relationship with Taylor Swift turned him into full-blown pop culture currency. Their August engagement announcement broke the internet, then Swift used his New Heights podcast to announce her album. Kelce cleared over $30M in off-field income, becoming the highest-earning non-QB in endorsements. Football player, media mogul, restaurateur. That’s narrative ownership.
2. Patrick Mahomes – QB Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes topped Forbes at $78M, with $28M from endorsements alone. His Adidas extension and signature golf line expanded his brand beyond football. Add State Farm, Hublot, Oakley, and Messi-adjacent partnerships, and you get the NFL’s most globally positioned face. Quiet dominance, global scale.
3. Ja’Marr Chase – WR Cincinnati Bengals
#1 on the NFLPA Influencer Hot List. Chase proved elite performance plus social fluency equals leverage. His digital engagement topped all active players, showing modern athletes don’t need playoff runs to win the visibility game.
4. Jayden Daniels – QB Washington Commanders
5. DeVonta Smith – WR Philadelphia Eagles
Smith’s TCL Super Bowl campaign wasn’t loud, it was authentic. A message to his childhood mentor generated 523K organic views and over 135M PR impressions. This is what happens when storytelling beats stunts.
6. Caleb Williams – QB Chicago Bears
Williams entered the league with a $10M NIL resume, a guaranteed $39.49M rookie deal, and his own investment firm. Industry projections say billion-dollar brand potential by 30. That’s not hype, that’s infrastructure.
7. C.J. Stroud – QB Houston Texans
28 brand partnerships across 19 categories in year two. Stroud’s portfolio is textbook brand diversification, energy, food, fashion, automotive. Performance opened the door, marketing discipline kept it open.
8. Josh Allen – QB Buffalo Bills
Switching from Nike to New Balance wasn’t just a deal, it was a community investment strategy. Add Therabody, Verizon, Gatorade, and an equity role with New Era, and Allen showed how athletes can scale beyond sponsorship.
9. Christian McCaffrey – RB San Francisco 49ers
10. Saquon Barkley – RB Philadelphia Eagles
A Super Bowl run, signature Nike cleats, and a relocation narrative boosted his visibility. Barkley reminded brands that moments matter, especially when the lights are brightest.
11. Micah Parsons – LB Green Bay Packers
Podcast host, media exec, defensive star. Parsons used controversy, conversation, and consistency to stay visible all year. When athletes own platforms, they own leverage
12. George Kittle – TE San Francisco 4ers
Tight End University became a full-scale media event. Add podcasts, festivals, and personality, and Kittle proved community building is a brand strategy
The CTRL Bottom Line
2025 proved this simple truth:
The NFL’s most powerful players weren’t just the best athletes, they were the best communicators.
They didn’t wait for coverage.
They built platforms.
They didn’t chase deals.
They created leverage.
If you’re advising athletes, executives, or brands and you’re not prioritizing narrative control, media training, and room readiness, you’re already behind.
Because if you don’t control the narrative,
the streets will,
and it will not be in your favor.
Let me know your thoughts.
Tonya McKenzie
tmckenzie@sandandshores.com
Chief CTRLer
Author
