Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy may not have played a single snap in the National Football League yet, but he's already making more money than the rest of the league in royalties collected at over $4 million, beating out the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
J.J. McCarthy sits atop NFL in royalties
McCarthy being tops in royalties is quite interesting, especially since he didn't play outside of one preseason game. To be fair, McCarthy was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and that preseason game was arguably the single best performance in August.
Jersey sales are a major part of this, but McCarthy didn't finish in the top 10 there. However, royalties don't just come from jersey sales. They come from a multitude of places.
Where did it come from? Memoabilia expert Darren Rovell believes it likely came from trading cards.
The report doesn't break down what McCarthy specifically got paid for — he ranked 48th in licensed product sales, according to the numbers released by the union last week. However, given the timing of his payments — he received more than $1 million the day he was drafted — two marketing agents say it appears as though much of that money came from trading cards.
Trading cards themselves have come back in vogue in recent years after they faded into the background during the early part of the 21st century. If McCarthy made this much without playing a single snap, imagine what he can bring in once he does play?
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