Jonathan Taylor is already producing both on and off the field in his fresh NFL career. The Colts’ young talent has what is believed to be the most endorsement deals in NFL history for a rookie running back. With the help of his marketing agency, Everett Sports Marketing (ESM), Taylor has procured large-scale partnerships with Toppers Pizza, Under Armour, UW Credit Union, Campbell’s Soup, American Family Insurance, Fanatics, and Panini. Additionally, ESM has acquired marketing activations for Taylor with Bose, EA Sports/Madden, Comcast, and Ascent Protein.
Highlighting the endorsement deals, Taylor’s lifetime partnership with Toppers Pizza is the largest non-traditional rookie endorsement deal of 2020, and includes ownership in four franchises in Madison, Wisconsin. Toppers Pizza Founder and President, Scott Gittrich, said of the deal, “We are proud to welcome Jonathan Taylor into the Toppers Pizza family, and look forward to seeing how his skills on the football field and love of Toppers’ food translate into business ownership.” Dan Everett, ESM’s President of Football, said Taylor’s passion for the brand makes him a “natural and authentic fit.” Everett added, “To have the benefits of a traditional endorsement with the unparalleled aspect of lifetime equity, made this an exciting and truly unique partnership.”
Taylor appreciates ESM’s ability to partner him with brands he has a real connection with. “Being able to communicate with my [ESM] team about things I am passionate about and having them develop a strategic plan to identify what fits my personality allows me to enjoy working with these brands over having transactional relationships,” Taylor stated. Everett notes, “Jonathan’s priority is to partner with the right brands in long term partnerships. His team at ESM is able to monetize his platform, at late first round quarterback levels, while prioritizing charitable deliverables that give back to the causes Jonathan cares most about.” As a franchise owner, Taylor continues to give back to the Madison community, as he did over the course of his college career, by working with organizations like Badgers Give Back, United Way, Lussier Community Development Center, and Badgers Pen-Pals.
In addition to his growth off the field, Taylor continues to improve on the field. After the unfortunate season-ending injury to his teammate Marlon Mack, Taylor assumed a feature role in the Colts’ backfield. Taylor has never shied away from being a workhorse running back, as he racked up over 6,000 rushing yards in his three years at the University of Wisconsin, making him the first player in NCAA history to rush for that many yards in a three-year span. Through six weeks of the NFL season, Taylor leads the Colts in rushing yards and is beginning to emerge in the passing game as well, tied for third on the team in receptions.
Alongside Taylor, ESM represents a talented rookie class including Bengals wideout Tee Higgins, and Lions running back D’Andre Swift. ESM also represents Browns star running back Nick Chubb, who is ranked by the NFLPA as the Top NFL Rising Star for 2020 in terms of marketability based upon anticipated growth in consumer sales.