Sam Howell, breakout candidates and more Commanders thoughts entering 2023 season

Mike Petro News Business Reporter
Endorsement deals keep coming for Josh Allen.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback has signed a multiyear partnership with PepsiCo, supporting brands across the national portfolio.
That deal and partnerships with several other corporate sponsors have Allen ranked fourth among NFL players in total endorsement earnings for 2023 at $9 million, according to estimates by Sportico.
And that number is likely only going up.
On Tuesday, Gatorade announced it has also reached a multi-year deal with Allen. The signing is part of Allen's broader deal with PepsiCo. He joins Bills teammate Stefon Diggs, in addition to some of the NFL's other top athletes, on the Gatorade roster.
"Josh Allen emulates exactly what we look for in an athlete partner – a leader on and off the field, strong work ethic and dedicated to performing his best every single day," said Jeff Kearney, global head of sports marketing at Gatorade. "We’re committed to investing in talent that inspire the next generation and we look forward to fueling Josh throughout the season."
Allen will appear in a TV commercial debuting Sept. 10 capturing a selfie with legendary NFL quarterback Dan Marino. The Pepsi commercial, called “Unretirement,” has fans imagine a world where some of their favorite players come out of retirement.
The commercial brings together former NFL players Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and Marino, with Allen – PepsiCo’s newest athlete.
“Growing up, PepsiCo brands were game day staples in my household while I watched these NFL legends,” Allen said in a news release. “I never thought I’d get to share the field with a football great like Dan Marino, so it was a blast to shoot this commercial alongside everyone and be part of their ‘unretirement’ experience.”
For two decades, the Bills were looking for a franchise quarterback, and now they have that and much more in Allen.
Allen, a dual-threat quarterback who has been one of the league’s top passers the past three seasons, has led the Bills to three straight AFC East divisional titles – ending a drought that dated back to 1995 when the Bills were being led by their last franchise quarterback, Jim Kelly.
It has made him not only a star on and off the field in Buffalo, but the 2024 Madden video game cover boy entering his sixth season in the NFL is now also one of the league’s most highly ranked earners and sought-after athletes for endorsements.
Allen, who is also elevated by his big personality and looks, is now connected to some of the biggest names in corporate money and advertising dollars, signing deals with Nike, New Era, Gillette, Gatorade, Frito Lay and Verizon.
You might have seen Allen recently on your TV, creeping out of the landscaping in a suburban neighborhood to encourage a football fan to stop watching NFL games through his neighbor’s window and order a Verizon TV plan that includes Sunday NFL Ticket.
Allen also shot a national commercial for Frito Lay before last season inside the team’s field house – the AdPro Training Center.
“Josh Allen has emerged as a shining star in the NFL, captivating audiences with his exceptional skill set and dynamic style of play,” according to Betway, which recently ranked Allen second, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, as one of the “best-performing players under pressure,” after analyzing the performance of key NFL quarterbacks throughout last season.
“As the driving force behind the Buffalo Bills, Allen’s brilliance shines through in his ability to make jaw-dropping throws with pinpoint accuracy, even on the run,” Betway continued.
While Allen might be the ninth-highest earner among NFL players in 2023 (all are quarterbacks), he’s tied for fourth with the New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers in endorsement earnings at $9 million, according to Sportico. He trails only Mahomes at $25 million, the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott at $14 million and the Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson with $12 million.
Allen, the seventh overall draft pick in the 2018 draft, will earn $37 million this year, according to Sportico. He is eighth in the league in annual contract value at $43 million. He was second in the NFL behind Mahomes when he originally signed a $258 million, six-year deal with the Bills in August 2021, but since, six quarterbacks have signed new deals worth more annually than his.
Much of the $77 million generated off the field by the Top 10 earners in the NFL is tied up in Allen, Mahomes, Wilson, Rodgers and Prescott, Sportico noted.
Forbes ranked Allen, 27, as the 16th highest earner in all of professional sports worldwide in 2022.
“Allen’s profile has skyrocketed while leading the Bills to three straight AFC East titles. His endorsement roster has ballooned to more than a dozen names,” according to Sportico.
Allen is so popular locally that his used couch recently sold for $4,000, with the money going to the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital.
Also, vehicle dealership West Herr Automotive, which Allen has partnered with for several years, is running a giveaway contest, offering the winning fan the choice between the quarterback’s 4-year-old used truck with his signature on it or $100,000. To enter, West Herr is asking that a donation be made to Oishei Children’s Hospital.
The 2019 Ford F150 Raptor Truck once driven by Allen is likely valued at around $55,000, with additional worth due to the signature, but it doesn’t compare to the $100,000 that West Herr is offering as an alternative. Still, the dealership likely realizes there is a good chance the winner will take the keepsake Allen truck.
After all, the contest is being held in Western New York, and fans here are not only fascinated, but also a bit obsessed, with their latest – and long-awaited – franchise quarterback.