2015 was not a great year for Colin Kaepernick as the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, but it was a pretty good year from a merchandise perspective. The NFLPA released a list of the top 50 players in merchandise sales for the period of March 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016, and Kaepernick ranked No. 13. Running back Jarryd Hayne ranked No. 43.
Kaepernick was the top seller for "player-identified caps" from New Era and Lids. I don't think I've ever owned a player-identified cap, but obviously some folks like them. Kaepernick was also among the league leaders in sales of international t-shirts in Mexico under new licensee Ziporez.
Kap has always done well in merchandise sales, but this coming year will likely be the first major dip of his career in that regard. He might be competing with Blaine Gabbert for the 49ers starting quarterback job, but he also could be starting somewhere else. A return to form would help with sales, but given his injury and 2015 struggles, I would suspect we see him drop from his No. 13 spot.
I am not surprised Hayne is on the list. I imagine quite a few people in Australia loaded up on Hayne gear. If he makes the roster and actually contributes in 2016, that ranking could go higher. If he remains fairly low on the radar, I don't imagine we see a ton of new purchases for him.