Each NFL team’s biggest social media influencer
- Ravens’ player Odell Beckham Jr. has the biggest social media influence in the league, boasting nearly 18 million followers on Instagram
- Other current players with a big influence include Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson
New research has revealed the most influential players on each NFL team on social media.
The study by sports betting media group Canada Sports Betting analyzed the follower counts of NFL players to see which players had the most social media influence from each team in the league.
It found that overall, Odell Beckham Jr., wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, is not only the biggest social media influencer on the team but also the biggest in the league by far, with 17,724,786 Instagram followers recorded at the time of the study. His move to the Ravens in April 2023 saw a big boost to his followers, gaining 130,000 followers in that month.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the second biggest influencer in the league, and the biggest social media influencer on the Chiefs, with 6,089,414 Instagram followers recorded at the time of the study. His teammate Travis Kelce follows close behind, with 5,438,602 followers.
Russell Wilson also features, with the Broncos quarterback being the most prominent social media influencer on the team and one of the biggest in the league currently, with 5,518,987 Instagram followers at the time of the study. March 2022 saw his move to the Broncos gain him nearly 110,000 followers on Instagram.
Another player to hold a lot of social media influence is the Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow, who has amassed 4,084,172 Instagram followers at the time of the study, making him the most influential player on the Bengals roster as well.
Another example of one of the league’s biggest influencers is JuJu Smith-Schuster, with the Patriots wide receiver amassing a total of 3,349,959 Instagram followers, the most of any player on the Patriots roster.
Many current free agents in the league also boast a big social media following, such as Cam Newton, who last played for the Panthers. He currently has a total of 4,779,327 followers on Instagram.
| NFL team | Most influential player | Instagram username | Instagram followers |
| Arizona Cardinals | DeAndre Hopkins | deandrehopkins | 1,723,216 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Cordarrelle Patterson | ceeflashpee | 280,294 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Odell Beckham Jr. | obj | 17,724,786 |
| Buffalo Bills | Von Miller | vonmiller | 2,077,253 |
| Carolina Panthers | Adam Thielen | athielen19 | 516,907 |
| Chicago Bears | Justin Fields | justnfields | 1,128,885 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow | joeyb_9 | 4,084,172 |
| Cleveland Browns | DeShaun Watson | deshaunwatson | 1,377,957 |
| Dallas Cowboys | Dak Prescott | _4dak | 2,334,251 |
| Denver Broncos | Russell Wilson | dangerusswilson | 5,518,987 |
| Detroit Lions | Jared Goff | jaredgoff | 409,601 |
| Green Bay Packers | Aaron Jones | showtyme_33 | 447,056 |
| Houston Texans | Jonathan Owens | jowens | 404,586 |
| Indianapolis Colts | Gardner Minshew | gardnerminshew5 | 531,768 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Trevor Lawrence | tlawrence16 | 1,043,783 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes II | patrickmahomes | 6,089,414 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Jimmy Garoppolo | jimmypolo10 | 1,517,096 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Justin Herbert | justinherbert | 637,574 |
| Los Angeles Rams | Aaron Donald | aarondonald99 | 1,257,316 |
| Miami Dolphins | Tyreek Hill | cheetah | 2,515,993 |
| Minnesota Vikings | Justin Jefferson | jjettas2 | 1,666,001 |
| New England Patriots | JuJu Smith-Schuster | juju | 3,349,959 |
| New Orleans Saints | Tyrann Mathieu | mathieu_era | 1,598,208 |
| New York Giants | Saquon Barkley | saquon | 2,593,615 |
| New York Jets | Aaron Rodgers | aaronrodgers12 | 2,317,793 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Jalen Hurts | jalenhurts | 1,435,382 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | TJ Watt | tjwatt90 | 1,079,039 |
| San Francisco 49Ers | Christian McCaffrey | christianmccaffrey | 2,200,961 |
| Seattle Seahawks | DK Metcalf | dk14 | 1,873,989 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Baker Mayfield | bakermayfield | 1,537,668 |
| Tennessee Titans | Derrick Henry | last_king_2 | 1,677,856 |
| Washington Commanders | Chase Young | chaseyoung | 893,388 |
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Canada Sports Betting said: “Despite the NFL having the higher viewing numbers, especially with the likes of the Super Bowl coming up, when you compare it to the NBA there aren’t as many standout influencers on social media. Regardless of this, many players current and former in the league still use social media as another source of income, with most NFL stars engaging with their socials in some way or another.”
Source: Instagram
Methodology: The players on each current team roster were studied for their Instagram follower counts
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
