Dolphins' DeVante Parker Leads All Rookies In Endorsement Deals
By Ross Kelly
Quick question: Which 2015 NFL rookie has signed the most endorsement deals? The names that first jump to mind are the top two draft picks: Heisman winners Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Winston, despite his off-the-field problems, has an outgoing personality which companies would love to promote. Mariota is much more humble but that humility is something that allows him to relate to the average person which is also a big selling point with endorsers. You could even see someone like Amari Cooper, Todd Gurley, or Melvin Gordon racking up lots of endorsements.
All of those players may, in fact, have many endorsements, but the 2015 draftee with the most is 14th overall pick, DeVante Parker of the Miami Dolphins. Parker's first deal was a four-year pact with Adidas and he has since worked with trading card companies Topps, Upper Deck, Leaf and Panini. He then signed with Bose and four Proctor & Gamble brands: Tide, Gillette, Pantene, and Olay. That meant signing thousands and thousands of cards and attending Bose music events shortly after being drafted.
Parker's agent Jimmy Gould explained why he thinks companies seek players like Parker:
"He's quiet, so first we had to deal with, well, why's he so quiet? That's just the way he is. I think corporate America wants people who they can rely upon and trust because there's frankly been a lot of issues out there. He showed up at every event, which, during the draft is hard to do because your mind is on the draft -- nothing else."
Parker wasn't really a big name in college at the University of Louisville and he only played in six games in his senior season. He also isn't expected to start in a revamped Dolphins' receiving group, and that was before he underwent surgery in June for a foot injury. But as Gould said, Parker's easy-going disposition meshes well with consumers and his personality is the opposite of some of the bigger names out there.
Is this a sign of things to come for companies where they look past the flashy names and instead gravitate towards the down-to-earth, more relatable players? In my opinion, this is more of a blip on the radar than a trend which is exacerbated by Winston's reputation. Companies will always go after the biggest names and, after all, it's just been three months since the draft so others could leap ahead of Parker. But that shouldn't take away from Parker's ability to attract endorsers and it shows that nice guys don't always finish last.
Ross Kelly is an Associated Producer for CBS Local Sports. He is from Louisiana and is a fan of all sports, but not of any teams (except LSU). He can be reached at ross.kelly@cbs.com.
