Darnold will need to perform well and win games to become a successful endorserGETTY IMAGES
New Jersey-based 16W Marketing Partner Steve Rosner said both Giants RB Saquon Barkley and Jets QB Sam Darnold will "do well in what are considered the 'tools of the trade'" endorsement deals, which "include categories like trading cards, footwear, apparel, licensing partnerships," according to the N.Y. POST. With both players competing in a crowded N.Y. market, Rosner said Barkley and Darnold "need to perform well on the field and help their team win to be a successful product endorser" (NYPOST.com, 4/29). In N.Y., Steve Serby wrote Barkley has "star power." He is "all business on the football field, and he will be commercial and merchandising business off it." Giants Chair & Exec VP Steve Tisch said, "He's gonna be a role model for his generation" (N.Y. POST, 4/29). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell cited Fanatics data as showing that Barkley has "sold more jerseys than any other player selected in the first round." A Fanatics spokesperson also noted that Barkley "sold more jerseys on draft night than any other player in its history." The company on Thursday night "started selling jerseys of players just drafted within minutes" (ESPN.com, 4/27). Meanwhile, NBCSN’s Chris Simms said of Darnold, “He's the big shot, but the great thing about Sam Darnold is he doesn't act like a big shot. He has a personality that people in the locker room are going to gravitate towards." Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio: “He’s got the perfect demeanor for the New York market” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 4/30).
MAKING HIS MARK: Rovell reported new Seahawks LB Shaquem Griffin on Friday "signed his first major endorsement deal" with Nike. He also signed Draft deals with Bose, JCPenney and luxury watch subscription service Eleven James, and did a Twitter Q&A "sponsored by American Family Insurance" (ESPN.com, 4/27).
WRONG ROUTE: SI.com's Gary Gramling wrote New Era designs hats "better than any other company does anything." Their products are "impeccable." Gramling: "I'd pay them to come on as a sponsor of this column. So I'm shocked they violated such a simple tenet: The draft hat has either the team logo, the team name (not just the city name), or both." The hats "weren't that bad, but they're not going to age well because these team slogans come and go." Gramling: "Logo or team name next year" (SI.com, 4/29).
