Getty NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes II at Capital One’s The Match VI in 2022.
When Tom Brady officially retired in 2023, many believed the NFL torch would pass to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II — and it appears it has.
Not only did Mahomes secure his second Super Bowl MVP in February, but he’s also leading the way among current NFL players when it comes to branding off the field. Betting.com produced a press release for a new study predicting 2023 Instagram earnings of the “top current and retired athletes across the NFL, NBA and MLB franchises,” and Mahomes was ranked second in Instagram revenue among football players just behind Brady — and one spot ahead of Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow.
“Recently retired NFL star Tom Brady is the highest-earning NFL star on Instagram, earning an average of $34,988 per sponsored post,” the Betting.com press release read. “Estimated to have earnt $104,964 so far in 2023, Brady’s predicted earnings for the year amount to $419,856.”
Continuing: “Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs legend Patrick Mahomes comes in second place as the highest-earning NFL star on Instagram with an average earning power of $13,577 per post and a projected earning of $162,924 in 2023.”
There’s currently a wide gap between Brady and Mahomes for the top spot in Instagram earnings, but that’s pretty representative of where the 27-year-old is in his career. As he attempts to run down Brady’s seven Super Bowl titles, his social media stature should climb higher and higher.
Someday, the young Chiefs superstar might even surpass “the GOAT” in both categories.
Ex-Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill & Travis Kelce Make NFL Top-10 for Instagram Earnings
After Mahomes, the following NFL Instagram stars in earnings per post were Burrow ($8,450), Aaron Rodgers ($5,612), ex-Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill ($5,292), Drew Brees ($4,704), KC superstar Travis Kelce ($4,519), Derrick Henry ($4,515), DeAndre Hopkins ($4,344) and Jalen Ramsey ($4,014).
That puts three players who made a name for themselves in Kansas City in the top 10 according to Betting.com. Hill and Kelce also hold the honor of top earner at their respective positions.
It should come as no surprise that both Hill and Kelce have expanded their personal brand by creating a podcast over the past year. The Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” show ranks 26th for American sports podcasts on iTunes at the moment.
Kelce also noted that he’s interested in acting more after his football career, while Hill has expressed that he wants to get into the online gaming space after he retires.
Lakers’ LeBron James Projected to Earn ‘Almost $14 Million’ From Instagram in 2023
For those wondering what the social media ceiling is for an athlete, NBA superstar LeBron James continues to raise that bar.
James is currently the “highest-earning US sports star on Instagram” according to Betting.com with “almost $14 million” in estimated revenue from the social media app this year. That absolutely absurd total includes roughly $380,501 per post.
For those that were wondering, Alex Rodriguez ranks No. 1 for MLB athletes with “around $130,572” from the platform in 2023. “Shohei Ohtani is the highest-earning current player, earning around $4,521 on average per post whilst Mike Trout comes in third earning an average of $5,313 per post,” the Betting.com press release added.
As for NFL rookies, they relayed: “University of Alabama quarterback, Bryce Young, is one of 2023’s most anticipated NFL prospects. With an estimated earning power of $1,148 per post, it also makes him the NFL prospect with the highest earning power on the platform. Young is followed by Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud ($874) and Bijan Robinson ($834), running back for the Texas Longhorns.”
Young was drafted No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers, while Stroud went to the Houston Texans and Robinson landed in Atlanta with the Falcons. Betting.com used the “Instagram Influencer Sponsored Post Money Calculator” to determine the figures in this study.
