Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady's arrival boosts Buccaneers merchandise sales in 2020

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 5/3/21

Tom Brady singlehandedly turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into the NFL's most popular merchandise-seller in 2020 after being one of the least popular in 2019.

According to Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin, Brady helped the Bucs go from No. 28 in merchandise sales to No. 1 in 2020, a 1,200% year-over-year increase. Rubin adds that it was the biggest one-year increase for any NFL team in Fanatics history.

The Brady Effect! @TomBrady helped the Bucs go from #28 in NFL team sales in 2019 to #1 last year, a 1200% YOY increase – the biggest single-year increase for any NFL team in @fanatics history!
— Michael Rubin (@michaelrubin) May 3, 2021

According to ESPN's Jenna Laine, Brady merchandise sales from April 2020 to March 2021 were the largest single-year player sales in NFL history.

Brady also recently topped the NFLPA's top 50 player sales list for the year ending Feb. 28. He became the only player to lead the union's quarterly top 50 players sales list seven different times.

The boom in Brady merchandise hasn't just come from fans in Tampa Bay but also from fans across New England. Fanatics said Tampa was the top market for Brady jersey sales in 2020 and Boston was No. 2, per Laine.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion will only continue to become more popular as his career in Tampa Bay continues. It'll be interesting to see what merchandise sales will look like next season if the Buccaneers win back-to-back Super Bowls.

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