Get ready to see a lot of Allen and Mahomes on Sunday's broadcast
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes won’t only be competing on the field Sunday but also for the attention of viewers to the many brands they are representing.
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes won’t only be competing on the field Sunday but also for the attention of viewers to the many brands they are representing.
Viewers of Sunday’s game will certainly get their fill of Buffalo’s Allen and Kansas City’s Mahomes when the Bills host the Chiefs at 4:25 p.m.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are two of the most popular pitchmen in the NFL.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
The star quarterbacks appear in a total of 10 TV ads currently airing, so they will be quite visible during the game broadcast and when commercials air during breaks.
That’s no surprise considering Mahomes and Allen are the two top earners in the NFL, including raking in the second and third most sponsorship dollars of any of the league’s players, according to Forbes.
Mahomes makes an estimated $28 million of his $78 million in annual earnings off the field, while Allen collects an estimated $15 million of his $73 million annually through brand partnerships and other investments.
Allen, the reigning MVP, has been picking up some sponsorship momentum this season, appearing in 124 commercial airings, while Mahomes has appeared in 86 going into this week, according to TV ad data measurement company iSpot.
“Part of why advertisers work with big-name athletes like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes is the brand association that comes from big matchups like this Sunday’s,” said Tyler Bobin, director of brand analyst solutions at iSpot. “After years of overwhelmingly emphasizing Mahomes, advertisers have appeared to spread the ball around a bit more this year, and Allen has been among the primary beneficiaries there.”
Allen has become one of the most popular pitchmen in the NFL and is currently representing seven brands that are now running ads on TV, according to iSpot. That includes commercials with Pepsi, New Era Cap Co., Wonderful Pistachios, Gatorade, SoFi, Pizza Hut and Snickers.
The number of commercials Allen appears in now outpaces all other NFL players, according to iSpot. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is next with six ads.
Meanwhile, Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP, has the NFL’s best array of sponsorships, according to Forbes. That includes three spots currently airing, most notably a longtime brand relationship with State Farm, as well as Oakley and Invisalign.
The Bills signed Allen to a six-year, $330 million deal in the offseason and the contract set an NFL record for guaranteed money at $250 million. He’s tied for second in the NFL for salary with an average annual value of $55 million.
In the offseason, Allen also reached a deal to develop branded content with Skydance Sports and became invested in Cashmere’s venture capital fund. He also jumped from Nike to New Balance in a lucrative deal during training camp.
Mahomes agreed to a record-setting 10-year, $450 million extension in 2020, but because of the signings that have occurred since, he’s now 14th among quarterbacks with his contract’s average annual value at $45 million, according to Forbes.
After reworking his deal in the offseason, Mahomes is making $50 million on the field this season and is scheduled to get a nearly $7 million raise with his salary and bonuses next year.
The only player who has outpaced Allen and Mahomes in off-the-field dollars is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who’s earning an estimated $30 million, according to Forbes, and a lot of that is because of his New Heights podcast, which has brought on his fiancée, singer Taylor Swift.
Allen may be at his busiest working on a new campaign with Wonderful Pistachios and elevating his relationship with New Era Cap.
He’s made four commercials for Wonderful Pistachios that are running throughout the NFL season. In “Ice Breaker” and “Melt Down,” Allen consults a fellow football player encased in ice after an ice bath to hold back on snacking. In “High Five” and “Taped Up,” Allen’s teammate is wrapped in a giant ball of athletic tape to keep him from reaching for unhealthy snacks.
Allen brings his star power and playful approach to the ads, as well as a heartfelt connection to pistachio farming. His family’s farm in California’s Central Valley produces pistachios for the brand. He’s also started a scholarship program with Wonderful Pistachios.
“Josh showed up ready to work, and I have to admit, I was impressed we managed to squeeze a season’s worth of content into a single day,” Diana Salsa, vice president of marketing at Wonderful Pistachios, said in a news release. “Turns out, he’s as good at hitting comedic timing as he is at hitting wide receivers.”
Allen has also expanded his long-standing partnership with New Era, becoming the first ambassador to receive an investment stake in the company and earning a new title as its first “Director of Billustration.”
In collaboration with Oishei Children’s Hospital and the Patricia Allen Fund, Allen is wearing this season nine unique 9Forty Billustration team caps that have been specially customized by patients during the tunnel fit walk at each Bills home game and then auctioning them off after the game. The auctions have fetched as much as $17,150.
Another popular spot has featured Allen starring in Pepsi’s “Tailgate Crashers,” where he joins forces with Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson and the duo trades jerseys for Pepsi jumpsuits to crash tailgates and make sure coolers are stocked with Pepsi.
Mahomes’ State Farm commercials are among the most popular and one of the longer-standing spots of any professional athlete with a brand. He has promoted the company since 2019, adding him to the long-running “Jake from State Farm” campaign.
According to Forbes, Mahomes earns between $3 million and $5 million annually from State Farm alone, making it one of the most valuable non-apparel deals in sports endorsements.
He’s also added to his long list of sponsors by recently partnering with Airbnb and Hublot and agreeing to autograph Panini trading cards. Additionally, he has equity stake investments in other teams like MLB’s Kansas City Royals, Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Kansas City Current.