New England Patriots fans are hoping Mac Jones can be a successful heir to Tom Brady and their optimism has apparently translated to jersey sales.
Fanatics revealed Jones, who has yet to play in a regular-season NFL game, is already second among the NFL's top-selling jerseys since August 1, propelling him one spot ahead of Brady, whose jersey topped all NFL players last season, his first with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen topped the list, while Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields ranked fourth and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ranked fifth.
Jones was officially named the Patriots' starting quarterback on August 31 amid the team's decision to release former NFL MVP Cam Newton and months after being selected by New England at No. 15 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jones led Alabama to a College Football National Championship and was third in the Heisman voting behind teammate DeVonta Smith and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence during his lone season as Alabama's full-time starting quarterback.
Jones threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions on 311 of 402 passing -- while also recording one rushing touchdown -- while leading the Crimson Tide to a 13-0 record in 2020.
Jones also made four starts in the absence of Tua Tagovailoa -- his Week 1 opponent when the Patriots host the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on Sunday (September 12) -- following a season-ending injury in 2019.
In February, sales for Brady's Buccaneers merchandise spiked after his 10th Super Bowl berth, which included buyers from the New England area, according to Fanatics.com via CBS Miami.
Brady's No. 12 Bucs jersey was already the No. 1 seller in the NFL, but hit a "massive surge over the last week" and became the all-time best-selling NFL jersey for the span between Conference Championship weekend and the Super Bowl.
Fanaticsreported Tampa was, unsurprisingly, the top-selling market for Brady merchandise, but Boston was also in the top-5.
The 44-year-old quarterback spent his previous 20 NFL seasons in New England prior to signing with the Bucs in March, which culminated in an NFL record seventh Super Bowl victory.