Peyton Manning is the NFL’s top pitchman. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Peyton Manning is the NFL’s top product endorser, , racking up nearly $12 million annually from deals with DirecTV, Papa John’s, Buick, Gatorade and Nationwide.
Over the years, he’s also had deals with MasterCard, Sprint, Nabisco, Reebok and others, that have required him to wear a number of hats: , , , , , – you get the idea.
The dude is everywhere, and he’s usually singing or dancing or doing something that only Peyton Manning could pull off. It’s great for everyone watching. Not so great when he has to watch — with his teammates.
“I change the channel immediately,” he said, laughing. “If other teammates are in the room, I run out of the room. I don’t want to hear the abuse coming my way. I don’t watch a ton of TV so I don’t see a lot of it but that is what I do, I change the channel. Nobody should be caught watching themselves on a commercial.”
One of his most recent commercials has him singing to the tune of the “Nationwide is on your side” jingle –- while tying his shoes, calling plays, sitting in the cold tub, driving his car, .
“They served it the other day in the cafeteria and Mitch Unrein sang the little jingle tune and he said he just couldn’t help it,” Manning said. “It was a layup. I just served it right up to him.”
