The NFL season is back, with the opener last night between the Patriots and the Seahawks and a full slate of games rolling out now. Before the scores and plays take over the headlines, here's what our data shows about where league sponsorship stands heading into the new season.

A Record Season to Build On

The league just closed out its biggest year yet. NFL team sponsorship revenue reached $2.7 billion in the 2025-26 season, up 8% from the year before according to our data, reinforcing the NFL's position as the most valuable marketing platform in U.S. sports (second to F1 globally). That growth wasn't confined to a single category. Financial services, ticketing, and beverage-alcohol remained the largest revenue categories, while technology posted the largest year-over-year increase of any category, adding an estimated $21 million in new spend across 88 deals. Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and Evolv led that charge, and the Washington Commanders captured the most technology revenue of any team.

Financial services and ticketing weren't far behind. Financial services brands added more than $15 million in new spend across 37 deals, led by Visa, Cash App, and Shift4, again with the Commanders as the top beneficiary. Ticketing platforms added $14 million in new spend across just 12 deals, with TickPick, Authentic Brands Group's Sports Illustrated Tickets, and Vivid Seats each surpassing $3 million; the Houston Texans captured the most ticketing revenue on the strength of a new TickPick partnership.

Where the Premium Dollars Are

On revenue, the Dallas Cowboys led all teams, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, and Atlanta Falcons. The fastest-growing teams by year-over-year revenue were the Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, and Indianapolis Colts — a reminder that sponsorship growth isn't only happening at the league's biggest brands.

Marquee Deals That Defined the Season

A handful of partnerships stood out for reshaping what NFL sponsorship looks like:

• Jersey Mike's signed on as the league's first Official Sub Sandwich Sponsor, with exclusive marketing rights spanning the NFL Draft Experience, Super Bowl Experience, NFL FLAG, and the Pro Bowl Fan Vote.
• Microsoft expanded its Copilot AI integration league-wide, powering Surface devices and AI tools across all 32 teams for game film access, real-time analytics, coaching, and scouting.
• Abercrombie & Fitch became the NFL's first-ever Official Fashion Partner, bringing athlete-led campaigns and branded collections to games and retail alike.
• Novartis entered as the league's first-ever corporate pharmaceutical partner, debuting with seven teams and 82 assets tied to initiatives like Crucial Catch cancer screening awareness — a launch that helped drive a 30% net increase in healthcare category deals.
• Breitling became the NFL's first-ever Official Timepiece Partner, launching team-edition watch collections across all 32 teams.
• NetApp and Adobe also expanded their footprints, named the league's Official Intelligent Data Infrastructure Partner and continuing as an AI-driven fan experience partner, respectively.

Athletes Are Cashing In Too

Endorsement activity skewed toward youth this past year. Eagles rookie-turned-Super-Bowl-champion Cooper DeJean topped the endorsement leaderboard with 22 brand deals in just his second season, followed by Cameron Jordan, Travis Hunter, Saquon Barkley, and George Kittle rounding out the top five. Rookies Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, and Jaxson Dart all cracked the top 10 — while veterans Jordan and Kittle were the only players on the list with more than 30 deals.

New Brands Already Lining Up for 2026-27

Last season's momentum is carrying straight into this one. More than 440 new brands entered the NFL for the first time in 2025-26, many starting small with locally focused assets like ribbon board digital ads and videoboard placements before scaling up.

That pipeline looks even bigger heading into kickoff. Our platform is already tracking over 600 new brands with deals booked for the 2026-27 season that had zero NFL sponsorship activity last season — a wave of net-new entrants before a single snap has been played. The entrants span nearly every category we track, led by:

• Construction & Industrial
• Hotel, Restaurant, Leisure
• Business Services
• Healthcare
• Auto

A few notable names entering or re-entering the league this season: Salesforce (Technology), Grupo Bimbo (Food Products), Cleveland Clinic and Sutter Health (Healthcare), Xerox (Business Services), Outfront Media (Media), and Aeromexico (Transportation). The mix reflects two things happening at once: legacy consumer categories continuing to expand their NFL presence, while B2B and healthcare brands increasingly see league sponsorship as a way to build broader brand awareness.

The Takeaway

The league heads into kickoff coming off a record $2.7 billion sponsorship season, with technology, healthcare, and financial services brands leading growth, premium assets commanding higher rates than ever, and over 600 new brands already signed for 2026-27 before the season has even started. Expect that momentum to keep building as teams announce new partners throughout the year.

Sponsorship revenue, deal, and pricing data sourced from the SponsorUnited platform and the SponsorUnited 2025 NFL Marketing Partnerships report. Asset pricing reflects SponsorUnited's estimated pricing model, not confirmed contract values.

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