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Women in Cincinnati are drowning their sorrows over the rumored engagement of Bengals QB Joe Burrow with 9-cent \u201cSad Girl Shots\u201d at a local bar. Marketers might follow suit if they can\u2019t score a different kind of partnership with the NFL star.<\/p>\n
In addition to being No. 1 in our hearts, Burrow landed on top of the NFL Players Association\u2019s Influencer Hot List this year. The association worked with partnership measurement company Zoomph to rank players\u2019 social performance based on their number of organic posts, followers, engagement rates, impressions, and follower interaction rates across Instagram and X from September 2022 to July 2023.<\/p>\n
Burrow has worked with brands including BodyArmor, Bose, and Kroger. While he\u2019s certainly desirable, marketers might want to consider players further down the list depending on their goals, Gina Scott, VP of group licensing and partner services at the NFLPA, told Marketing Brew.<\/p>\n
Burrow\u2019s stats are off the charts, and not just his record-breaking completion percentage (despite a less-than-ideal Week 1). On social, he has an engagement rate of over 13%, higher than any other player in the league, according to the list.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe\u2019s got that swag, he\u2019s got that style,\u201d Scott said. \u201cJoe\u2019s taken control of his entire story. He\u2019s not relying on anybody else to give you that peek behind the curtain, or to tell you who Joe is. He\u2019s actually doing it himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also likely doesn\u2019t hurt his social stats that he already had a following from his LSU days, Scott said.<\/p>\n
Coming in second was Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest earlier this year during a prime-time game against the Bengals, prompting an outpouring of support and renewed conversations about the sport\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n
Rounding out the top five were Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey, who was traded early last season from the Carolina Panthers, then got engaged to model and actress Olivia Culpo earlier this year, jumped from No. 31 on last year\u2019s list.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe moved from \u2018football player,\u2019 where your sport fans really knew Christian on the field, and went over into this world of pop culture that I think really elevated his status and probably boosted his social media profile,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce clocked in at No. 6, but his star could similarly rise soon if rumors that he\u2019s \u201cquietly hanging out\u201d with Taylor Swift are true.<\/p>\n
Another notable climber on the list was Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, a fourth-round draft pick in 2019, who went from No. 43 to No. 15. Scott said Crosby does a particularly good job of using social to give fans a look at his life off the field, which is perhaps why his stats are higher than some might expect.<\/p>\n
Crosby isn\u2019t the only player who could prove to be a catch for brands despite not cracking the top 10. Kyle Juszczyk, fullback for the 49ers and No. 33 on the list, has an engagement rate of about 12%, almost as high as Burrow\u2019s. Maybe it\u2019s because his Instagram heavily features his dogs, Mozzarella and Pierogi, and who doesn\u2019t love a petfluencer?<\/p>\n
The list also includes a few rookies: Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (No. 36), Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (No. 41), and Panthers QB Bryce Young (No. 50). NIL deals could have helped boost their online popularity early on in their careers, and Scott pointed out that all three come from powerhouse football colleges. Brands shouldn\u2019t discount players like them on the bottom half of the list, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about that bespoke opportunity,\u201d Scott said. \u201cIt really just depends on what a brand is looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n