Russell Wilson, Peyton Manning Top NFLPI Top 50 Player Sales List

For the third time in eight months, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has beat out Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. This time, instead of winning on the field, Wilson led Manning and all other NFL players in merchandise sold. He also had the top-selling jersey among all players.

According to the figures released by the NFL Players' Association website, Wilson had more officially licensed merchandise sold during the second fiscal quarter (June 1-August 31) than any other player:

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Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks stands atop the NFL Players Inc. (NFLPI) Top 50 Player Sales list for the second fiscal quarter, representing total sales of all officially licensed products June 1 – August 31, 2014. Wilson reclaimed the retail crown from Johnny Manziel of the Cleveland Browns, who topped the list at the end of the first quarter.

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Here's a look at the top 10 players in terms of merchandise sales for the second fiscal quarter:

Rank	Player	Team
1	Russell Wilson, QB	Seattle Seahawks
2	Peyton Manning, QB	Denver Broncos
3	Colin Kaepernick, QB	San Francisco 49ers
4	Tom Brady, QB	New England Patriots
5	Aaron Rodgers, QB	Green Bay Packers
6	Dez Bryant, WR	Dallas Cowboys
7	Johnny Manziel, QB	Cleveland Browns
8	Drew Brees, QB	New Orleans Saints
9	Jason Witten, TE	Dallas Cowboys
10	J.J. Watt, DE	Houston Texans

To view the full Top 50 list, click here.

This news comes after a rough weekend for Wilson and the Seahawks. They lost to the Dallas Cowboys at home, just the second loss at CenturyLink Field of Wilson's career. There was some some dissension in the ranks with wide receiver Doug Baldwin calling out the team after the defeat. Wilson tweeted out that he's going learn from the loss:

One reason that Wilson has become so popular is his ability to improvise. One person who's taken notice of the Seahawks quarterback is Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders, who compared Wilson's improvisation skills to his own unique running style.

Speaking to a group at the Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame traveling exhibit, via Tom Pelissero of USA Today, Sanders praised Wilson's ability to use his arm and legs in any situation.

"[Wilson] really does combine a lot of great attributes," Sanders said. "He throws the ball well and moves around well in the pocket. As we saw [against Washington], he can pick up a lot of yards in the running game also."

USA TODAY Sports

The biggest surprise in the top 10 is probably tight end Jason Witten, though perhaps it shouldn't be due to the immense popularity of the Dallas Cowboys. Johnny Manziel remains the most popular backup player in all of sports, though he did drop six spots, per the press release, after leading this list in the first fiscal quarter.

Despite having the No. 2 selling jersey among all rookies back in May, Michael Sam—now on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad—failed to crack the top 50. This is likely due to the fact the Cowboys do not sell jerseys of practice squad players.

Manning is the old stalwart in the group. He's been able to maximize his popularity as well as any quarterback, thanks to his incredible play on the field and vast promotional campaigns off it. You can't watch anything on television without seeing a commercial that he's in.

With Manning continuing his record-breaking ways this season, it's likely he'll have a spot in these rankings for the foreseeable future.

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