Having a Hard Time Finding an Adrian Peterson Jersey? Here’s Why

It's not hype when we say that Adrian Peterson may just be the most-beloved Viking of all time. Growing up with classic Purple People Eaters like Alan Page, Chuck Foreman, Paul Krause, Carl Eller, Fran Tarkenton, Sammy White and Ahmad Rashad, it's hard to believe that anyone could surpass the love us old-schoolers felt for that crew.

As a kid I had a #10 jersey and a #44 and if you look hard enough, every once in awhile, you'll see an old-timer with one of them on. For a brief time the 84 of Randy Moss was prominent, but quickly faded as our fair-weather fandom demanded. In recent years, many proudly displayed the #69 of Jared Allen... but increasingly in the past few years, the 28 of Adrian Peterson has begun to overtake them all. Apparently we're not the only ones.

If you've found it difficult to track down an official #28 jersey, there's a reason... according to a recent NFL news release, AP is one of the most popular jerseys in the NFL. SO not only are you competing with that closet Viking fan in Hudson, WI (You know who you are and you're not fooling anyone, Steve)... you're also trying to edge out the AP converts in all corners of America.

The release says that AP's jersey is the 13th most popular in the NFL. There are three Seahawks in the top 10, including Russell Wilson, who sports the most popular jersey in the league. Adrian is the only Viking to make the Top 50, but Cold Spring native Eric Decker comes in at number 46.

The entire list is below.

NFLPI Top 50 Player Sales Rankings (FY14):

1. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

2. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

3. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers

4. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

6. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

7. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks

8. Eli Manning, New York Giants

9. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

10. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

11. J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

12. Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks

13. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

14. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers

15. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

16. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers

17. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers

18. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

19. Arian Foster, Houston Texans

20. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

21. Victor Cruz, New York Giants

22. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

23. Wes Welker, Denver Broncos

24. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

25. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles

26. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

27. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

28. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

29. DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys

30. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

31. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears

32. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

33. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders

34. Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys

35. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

36. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

37. Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

38. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans

39. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

40. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs

41. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints

2. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

43. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

44. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

45. Von Miller, Denver Broncos

46. Eric Decker, Denver Broncos

47. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

48. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

49. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears

50. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers