The NFL announced on Monday that more Johnny Manziel No. 2 Cleveland Browns jerseys were sold on NFLShop.com during the first quarter of the league's fiscal year than any other player's jersey.
Manziel topped Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (No. 2), San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (No. 3) and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (No. 4).
Only two jerseys of defensive players were in the top 10. The jerseys of Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam, the first openly gay man drafted, were fifth and sixth, respectively.
Aside from those of Wilson and Sherman, three other Seahawks jerseys finished in the top 25, the most of any team. The "12th Fan" jersey finished 10th, running back Marshawn Lynch's was 11th and safety Earl Thomas's was 20th on the list.
Notable rookies to crack the list besides Manziel and Sam included Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (No. 13), Houston Texans defensive end and top overall pick Jadeveon Clowney (No. 16) and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (No. 18).
The best-selling teams are, not surprisingly, the Super Bowl champion Seahawks and the team they played in the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers. Thanks to Manziel, the Browns are now the third-most popular team in the league from a merchandise standpoint.
Since the league started keeping track in 1979, the Browns have finished the season at a franchise-best No. 3 in merchandise sales only once. That was in 1999, when the team came back into the league as an expansion franchise.
Manziel's spot atop the jersey-sales list is the highest a Browns player has been since the league has kept track of individual players' sales (2001). In 2007, Browns quarterback Brady Quinn went into the season with the No. 2 best-selling jersey behind San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Quinn finished the season at No. 17 in jersey sales.