{"id":2741,"date":"2026-01-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moccasin-wallaby-669396.hostingersite.com\/?p=2741"},"modified":"2026-01-07T09:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T17:48:16","slug":"2025s-top-12-players-that-won-the-nfl-off-the-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/2025s-top-12-players-that-won-the-nfl-off-the-field\/","title":{"rendered":"2025&#8217;s Top 12 Players That Won the NFL Off the Field"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Players That Mastered the Media, Landed the Endorsements, and Influenced the Culture to Control the Narrative in 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Everybody loves stats, touchdowns, and highlight reels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in 2025, the NFL wasn\u2019t just won on Sundays, it was won in\u00a0<strong>media rooms, endorsement decks, podcasts, and social feeds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After analyzing social media influence rankings, endorsement portfolios, media presence, and marketing impact across the 2025 NFL landscape, one thing is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Visibility beat performance more often than not.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This ranking is not about yards or team records. It\u2019s about&nbsp;<strong>who understood the assignment<\/strong>, controlled the story, owned the mic, and dominated the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div><hr><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading header-anchor-post\">CTRL THE NARRATIVE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who framed the story and kept public attention locked in<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading header-anchor-post\">Top 12 NFL Players Who Won Media, PR, and Marketing in 2025<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <strong>Travis Kelce<\/strong> &#8211; TE Kansas City Chiefs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u00a0<em>New Heights<\/em>\u00a0podcast to announce her album. Kelce cleared over $30M in off-field income, becoming the highest-earning non-QB in endorsements. Football player, media mogul, restaurateur. That\u2019s narrative ownership.<div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"326\" height=\"182.56\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/85f28aa2-4e3f-40c6-88fc-28cd9a867b70_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:168,&quot;width&quot;:300,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:326,&quot;bytes&quot;:9589,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85f28aa2-4e3f-40c6-88fc-28cd9a867b70_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!hNI0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85f28aa2-4e3f-40c6-88fc-28cd9a867b70_300x168.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <strong>Patrick Mahomes<\/strong> &#8211; QB Kansas City Chiefs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Mahomes topped Forbes at $78M, with $28M from endorsements alone. His Adidas extension and signature golf line expanded his brand beyond football. Add State Farm, Hublot, Oakley, and Messi-adjacent partnerships, and you get the NFL\u2019s most globally positioned face. Quiet dominance, global scale.<br><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"234\" height=\"351\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/83fbe038-e55d-4f69-998e-385621e3e2de_4000x6000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:234,&quot;bytes&quot;:1127204,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83fbe038-e55d-4f69-998e-385621e3e2de_4000x6000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!f_el!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83fbe038-e55d-4f69-998e-385621e3e2de_4000x6000.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. <strong>Ja\u2019Marr Chase<\/strong> &#8211; WR Cincinnati Bengals <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>#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\u2019t need playoff runs to win the visibility game.<br><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/fc917e48-eea7-4728-9b66-2042c315f7fc_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:168,&quot;width&quot;:300,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6550,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc917e48-eea7-4728-9b66-2042c315f7fc_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!CeLY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc917e48-eea7-4728-9b66-2042c315f7fc_300x168.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Jayden Daniels &#8211; QB Washington Commanders <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><div class=\"captioned-image-container\">From underdog to NFC Championship quarterback, Daniels combined performance with a compelling story arc. Rookie of the Year honors and influencer traction made him one of the league\u2019s most marketable new faces.<br><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"395\" height=\"262.8545454545455\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/43f5c901-ccac-4a1e-a233-32b7ef909125_275x183.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:183,&quot;width&quot;:275,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:395,&quot;bytes&quot;:8871,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f5c901-ccac-4a1e-a233-32b7ef909125_275x183.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!D654!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f5c901-ccac-4a1e-a233-32b7ef909125_275x183.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. <strong>DeVonta Smith<\/strong> &#8211; WR Philadelphia Eagles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith\u2019s TCL Super Bowl campaign wasn\u2019t 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.<br><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"446\" height=\"250.875\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/e1676f66-414b-48ba-a51f-a72c24eee490_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:446,&quot;bytes&quot;:42761,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1676f66-414b-48ba-a51f-a72c24eee490_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!YFIh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1676f66-414b-48ba-a51f-a72c24eee490_1280x720.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. <strong>Caleb Williams<\/strong> &#8211; QB Chicago Bears<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Williams entered the league with a $10M NIL resume, a guaranteed $39.49M rookie deal, and his own investment firm. Industry projections say billion-dollar brand potential by 30. That\u2019s not hype, that\u2019s infrastructure.<br><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><br><figure><br><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"364\" height=\"203.84\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/e968f47a-aa48-4eed-855e-f9752fa57658_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:168,&quot;width&quot;:300,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:364,&quot;bytes&quot;:9039,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe968f47a-aa48-4eed-855e-f9752fa57658_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!Qr68!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe968f47a-aa48-4eed-855e-f9752fa57658_300x168.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. <strong>C.J. Stroud<\/strong> &#8211; QB Houston Texans<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>28 brand partnerships across 19 categories in year two. Stroud\u2019s portfolio is textbook brand diversification, energy, food, fashion, automotive. Performance opened the door, marketing discipline kept it open.<div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"201\" height=\"250\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/d244b993-f413-4e55-89e8-0440655e9519_201x250.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:250,&quot;width&quot;:201,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7228,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd244b993-f413-4e55-89e8-0440655e9519_201x250.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!HCOn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd244b993-f413-4e55-89e8-0440655e9519_201x250.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. <strong>Josh Allen<\/strong> &#8211; QB Buffalo Bills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Switching from Nike to New Balance wasn\u2019t just a deal, it was a community investment strategy. Add Therabody, Verizon, Gatorade, and an equity role with New Era, and Allen showed how athletes can scale beyond sponsorship.<div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"275\" height=\"183\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/4d937aad-6c3c-42db-8d76-3a3e31d98072_275x183.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:183,&quot;width&quot;:275,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6125,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d937aad-6c3c-42db-8d76-3a3e31d98072_275x183.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!EFil!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d937aad-6c3c-42db-8d76-3a3e31d98072_275x183.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Christian McCaffrey &#8211; RB San Francisco 49ers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><div class=\"image2-inset can-restack\">Walking away from Nike to become a co-founder in a footwear brand signaled the evolution from pitchman to partner,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/whileonearth.co\/\" rel=\"\">While on Earth<\/a>. Equity over endorsement is the new flex.<div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/60193058-826b-464b-931a-6b5f901d2aca_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:168,&quot;width&quot;:300,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:9349,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60193058-826b-464b-931a-6b5f901d2aca_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!pvD6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F60193058-826b-464b-931a-6b5f901d2aca_300x168.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>10. Saquon Barkley<\/strong> &#8211; RB Philadelphia Eagles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A Super Bowl run, signature Nike cleats, and a relocation narrative boosted his visibility. Barkley reminded brands that moments matter, especially when the lights are brightest.<br><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"520\" height=\"292.5\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/124a81c7-5059-4161-9dd2-3c1beb05c5ba_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:520,&quot;bytes&quot;:38958,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F124a81c7-5059-4161-9dd2-3c1beb05c5ba_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!1OSO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F124a81c7-5059-4161-9dd2-3c1beb05c5ba_1280x720.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">11. <strong>Micah Parsons<\/strong> &#8211; LB Green Bay Packers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Podcast host, media exec, defensive star. Parsons used controversy, conversation, and consistency to stay visible all year. When athletes own platforms, they own leverage<div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><br><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/e6ec3dab-49ab-427d-9688-c95a7b43ed2a_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:168,&quot;width&quot;:300,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7594,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ec3dab-49ab-427d-9688-c95a7b43ed2a_300x168.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!5jrv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ec3dab-49ab-427d-9688-c95a7b43ed2a_300x168.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">12. <strong>George Kittle<\/strong> &#8211; TE San Francisco 4ers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Tight End University became a full-scale media event. Add podcasts, festivals, and personality, and Kittle proved community building is a brand strategy<br><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><br><figure><br><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/fadeb83c-2180-41b3-9d78-e0c878c178b6_225x225.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:225,&quot;width&quot;:225,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7935,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/tonyamckenziepr.substack.com\/i\/183745126?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffadeb83c-2180-41b3-9d78-e0c878c178b6_225x225.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!2tCm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffadeb83c-2180-41b3-9d78-e0c878c178b6_225x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><div class=\"image2-inset can-restack\"><div class=\"image-link-expand\"><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><div class=\"captioned-image-container\"><figure><div class=\"image2-inset can-restack\"><\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div><hr><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading header-anchor-post\">The CTRL Bottom Line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>2025 proved this simple truth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The NFL\u2019s most powerful players weren\u2019t just the best athletes, they were the best communicators.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They didn\u2019t wait for coverage.<br>They built platforms.<br>They didn\u2019t chase deals.<br>They created leverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re advising athletes, executives, or brands and you\u2019re not prioritizing narrative control, media training, and room readiness, you\u2019re already behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because if you don\u2019t control the narrative,<br>the streets will,<br>and it will not be in your favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me know your thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tonya McKenzie<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>tmckenzie@sandandshores.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chief CTRLer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019t just won on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[84,107,210,62,63,148,196,81,83,116,202],"tags":[228,227,229,113,230],"ppma_author":[197],"class_list":{"0":"post-2741","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"category-chicago-bears","9":"category-cincinnati-bengals","10":"category-football","11":"category-football-tea","12":"category-green-bay-packers","13":"category-kansas-city-chiefs","14":"category-nfl-team-news","15":"category-philadelphia-eagles","16":"category-san-francisco-49ers","17":"category-washington-commanders","18":"tag-brand-collaborations","19":"tag-brand-value","20":"tag-marketability","21":"tag-nfl","22":"tag-storytellers"},"aioseo_notices":[],"authors":[{"term_id":197,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"tonya-mckenzie","display_name":"Tonya McKenzie","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/tonya.webp","url2x":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/tonya.webp"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2741"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2743,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2741\/revisions\/2743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2741"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footballissexy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}