NFL: Odell Beckham Jr. and Russell Wilson top NFL's biggest influencers list

NFL superstars Odell Beckham Jr. and Russell Wilson have more than championships to brag about in 2023. It turns out the former champs are also leading the way in the world of social media followers based on a study from BookMakers.

Odell Beckham Jr. and Russell Wilson secure top spots on NFL social media influencers list

Whether you’re all in on the Baltimore Ravens this season with OBJ at wideout for Lamar Jackson or want to bet on a bounce back season for Ciara’s husband and the Denver Broncos, it’s clear the duo have a super strong presence in the digital world.

New research has revealed the most influential players on each NFL team on social media. 

The study by sports betting site BookMakers 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 17,213,456 Instagram followers recorded at the time of the study. He recently signed in April for the Ravens, gaining more than 80,000 followers since joining the Maryland-based team. 

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the second biggest influencer in the league, and the biggest social media influencer on the Chiefs, with 5,632,074 Instagram followers recorded at the time of the study. He has spent his entire career at the Chiefs since entering the NFL draft in 2017. 

Russell Wilson also features, with the Broncos quarterback being the most prominent social media influencer on the team and the third biggest in the league currently, with 5,520,556 Instagram followers at the time of the study. In March 2022, the month he signed for the Broncos, Wilson gained more than 100,000 followers.  

Another player to hold a lot of social media influence is the Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow, who has amassed 3,854,374 Instagram followers at the time of the study. He’s an example of another player who has spent their entire career at one team after being drafted by the Bengals in 2020. 

Rounding out the top five most influential players in the study is JuJu Smith-Schuster, with the Patriots wide receiver amassing a total of 3,452,521 Instagram followers. In March 2023, Smith-Schuster joined the Patriots on a lucrative $33 million contract.