Despite his age, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was picked as the NFL’s most marketable star by around 40 marketing and branding executives and sports business professors for both print and on-air football media. In a survey conducted by The Daily, the participants listed their top file most marketable players, Brady led the pack with 117 votes, two votes ahead of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. According to the article written by John Aceti, the 42-year-old Brady’s ranking came as a surprise due to his age, but his success on and off the field has helped him stand the test of time.

Aside from his company TB12, Brady is also the brand ambassador for Under Armour, Aston Martin, and Tag Heuer. Brady, a three-time MVP and six-time Super Bowl champion, is also the No. 1 seller of NFLPA licensed products for the second straight year. Bespoke Sports & Entertainment CEO Mike Boykin owed Brady’s success to his rare combination of success and an incredible work ethic. "He always seems to do and say the right thing,” said Boykin.

Beckham, Mayfield make it to list

Rounding out the top five were Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (78 points) and quarterback Baker Mayfield (46 points) and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (45 points). Making the top 10 were Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (40 points), Houston Texans defensive end J.J.

Watt (33 points), Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster (33 points), New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (26 points) and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (18 points). Based on the poll, the quarterback spot remains as the most attractive position in football as six of the top 10 players are signal-callers.

The respondents in the poll declared Mahomes as the poster boy of the NFL's offensive revolution, based on his first 19 games as starter. “He's the rising face of offense for the NFL, and he has a clean background and made a great run last year,” said Greg Goldring of Cogent.

Barkley responds to Brady’s challenge

The 22-year-old Barkley lived up to his billing as the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft as he carried the ball 261 times for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He also caught 91 passes for 721 yards and four touchdowns as he played all 16 games with the Giants last season. However, Barkley said he’s more determined to surpass his achievements in his rookie season after hearing Brady’s challenge to him when they crossed paths at the Met Gala back in May. According to a report by NJ.com, Brady told Barkley that “It’s great to do it for one season, but can you do it for five? Can you do it for 10?” Barkley said during that time, he was ready to run through a brick wall. The Patriots will play the Giants in their final preseason game on Thursday.