For NFL fans, wearing their favourite team’s jersey has always been a way to show their support. However, the increasing cost of official NFL merchandise, coupled with the increasing ease of accessing counterfeit merchandise through online shopping, has led to a rise in the number of NFL fans buying fake jerseys instead, which often cost a fraction of the official price.
The 2026 NFL season once again saw a new range of official jerseys launched across its 32 teams, being officially sold at the costly price of $149.99. Almost double what an official NFL jersey cost in 2010 ($79.99).
Every jersey purchased on the counterfeit merchandise market is a potentially missed sale for the NFL franchises. In fact, ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl, it was reported that the US government seized $39.5 million worth of counterfeit sports merchandise.
Which of the 32 NFL Teams Have Missed Out on the Most Money?
Ahead of the holiday season, a time when many Americans may be considering gifting a loved one their favourite team’s NFL jersey, the team at AskGamblers used search volume data from Etsy, Google Shopping and TikTok Shop to calculate how many Americans have been looking to find fake NFL jerseys in 2026.
The analysis used nine search terms across the three platforms to deliver a total searches figure for each of the 32 NFL teams. The study assumed that each search term was equal to a missed sale and calculated the total estimated losses of each NFL team accordingly. The 32 teams were ranked in order from the highest estimated losses to the lowest.
According to the findings, some NFL teams may have missed out on more than $8 million in 2026 due to fake jerseys being sold on the counterfeit merchandise market.
Here are the Top 10 NFL teams most impacted by fake jerseys in 2026:
Rank | NFL Team | Total 'Fake Jersey' Searches in 2026 | Estimated losses ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders | 56,610 | $8,490,900 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | 55,780 | $8,366,400 |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | 54,410 | $8,160,900 |
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys | 53,510 | $8,025,900 |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | 50,980 | $7,646,400 |
| 6 | Seattle Seahawks | 47,420 | $7,112,500 |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills | 47,050 | $7,057,000 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 45,400 | $6,809,000 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 40,420 | $6,062,000 |
| 10 | Green Bay Packers | 37,090 | $5,563,000 |
Which NFL Teams Have Missed Out on the Most Money?
The findings revealed that the Las Vegas Raiders have missed out on the most money due to the counterfeit merchandise market. In fact, the study estimated that the Raiders have been raided for more than $8.4 million in 2026.
There was a staggering total of 56,610 searches for fake Las Vegas Raiders jerseys in 2026 across Etsy, Google Shopping and TikTok Shop.
The Philadelphia Eagles were ranked in 2nd place, estimated to have missed out on over $8.3 million in 2026 because of fake jerseys. The study found an astonishing 55,780 searches for fake Eagles jerseys in 2026, including 28,830 fake jersey searches on Etsy alone.
The Chicago Bears were placed 3rd, after the study found a huge 54,410 searches for fake Bears jerseys in 2026. The study estimates this to be equal to a staggering $8.1 million that the Bears have missed out on in 2026 due to the rise in counterfeit jerseys in 2026.
The Dallas Cowboys took 4th place after the study estimated the NFL team to have missed out on over $8 million due to 53,150 searches for fake jerseys in 2026. Cowboys jerseys were among the most searched-for on TikTok Shop in 2026, with 11,980 searches.
The Kansas City Chiefs completed the Top 5, with a total of 50,980 searches for fake jerseys, representing an estimated loss of $7.6 million for the Chiefs in 2026. The Chiefs received more ‘fake jersey’ searches on Google Shopping than any other NFL team in 2026, with 36,170 searches.
The rest of the Top 10 also featured the Seattle Seahawks in 6th place, estimated to have missed out on $7.1 million in 2026. Then the Buffalo Bills in 7th place ($7m), the Pittsburgh Steelers in 8th place ($6.8m), the Baltimore Ravens in 9th place ($6m), and the Green Bay Packers in 10th place ($5.6m).
On the flip side, the Washington Commanders had the fewest searches for fake jerseys in 2026, with just 7,710 searches across Etsy, Google Shopping and TikTok Shop, meaning the Commanders have missed out on just $1.2 million because of the counterfeit merch market in 2026.
How Do NFL Fans Search for Fake Jerseys?
The study analysed US-based search data across three platforms, Etsy, Google Shopping, and TikTok Shop, to evaluate how much each NFL team may have missed out on in 2026 due to fake jerseys.
Etsy is a global online e-commerce market that connects buyers with independent businesses. The findings estimated that the platform has been used by thousands of NFL fans to find fake jerseys in 2026. Some of the most common ‘fake jersey’ search terms to appear in the Etsy search data included ‘[team name] jersey’ and ‘[team name] football jersey’.
The three NFL teams that featured the most in the Etsy search data were the Las Vegas Raiders (29,150 searches), the Philadelphia Eagles (28,830 searches), and the San Francisco 49ers (26,180 searches).
The 49ers ranked 11th in the overall data, which indicates that the Etsy platform is of particular interest to 49ers fans when searching for fake jerseys in 2026. Another surprising anomaly from the Etsy data was the Cleveland Browns ranking 10th in the Etsy data but as low as 20th in the overall findings.
Google Shopping is Google’s price-comparison and product-service search tool, which allows users to compare and buy from thousands of online stores. Some of the most common ‘fake jersey’ search terms to appear in the Google Shopping search data included ‘[team name] replica jersey’ and ‘[team name] cheap jersey’.
The three NFL teams that featured the most in the Google Shopping search data were the Kansas City Chiefs (36,170 searches), the Chicago Bears (25,520 searches), and the Seattle Seahawks (24,140 searches).
The New York Jets were a surprise feature in 4th place in the Google Shopping data with 22,550 searches, despite ranking as low as 14th place in the overall data with 28,840 searches.
TikTok Shop is TikTok’s in-app e-commerce feature that lets its users buy and sell products without ever leaving their TikTok feed. Some of the most common ‘fake jersey’ search terms to appear in the TikTok Shop search data included ‘[team name] fake jersey’ and ‘[team name] uniform’.
The three NFL teams that featured the most in the TikTok Shop search data were the Las Vegas Raiders (12,300 searches), the New York Giants (12,290 searches), and the Dallas Cowboys (11,980 searches). Surprisingly, the New York Giants only ranked 12th overall, despite having the second-highest volume of ‘fake jersey’ searches on TikTok Shop in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers and the Miami Dolphins each had many more searches on TikTok Shop than on other platforms, with the Panthers ranking 6th in the TikTok Shop data but 25th overall, and the Dolphins ranking 9th in the TikTok Shop data but 19th overall.
What Do the Sports Finance Experts Have to Say?
Dr Dan Plumley, Senior Lecturer in Sport Finance at Loughborough University, believes that fans who are seeking to save money by buying cheap on the counterfeit market risk costing themselves in other ways down the line.
He said: "The growth of counterfeit merchandise can have a knock-on impact on fans, mostly through lower-quality products and financial and fraud risks. For example, counterfeit jerseys are often poorly manufactured, incorrectly sized, or materially different from what was advertised."
There is also the risk that counterfeit sites use stolen images of official products to mislead consumers.
"There are other risks from a financial point of view. Even counterfeit merchandise sites have to collect payment and personal data, exposing consumers to risks regarding scams, identity theft, and payment fraud."
"It also leads to reduced revenues for teams and leagues. Counterfeiting creates costs for leagues and brands through enforcement, investigations, litigation, customs monitoring and brand-protection programs. These costs ultimately have to be absorbed somewhere within the licensed merchandise ecosystem."
"Money spent on counterfeit goods does not flow back to teams, leagues, players' associations, or licensed suppliers. This reduces revenues that help fund operations, marketing, community programs, and the overall fan experience."
Dr Dan Plumley explained that the NFL has been attempting to tackle the issue of counterfeit sports merchandise since 2013, and has seized almost half a billion dollars worth of fake sports merch to date.
He said: "The NFL and its partners have adopted a multi-layered approach to try and tackle counterfeit merchandise. There have been enforcement operations, such as the one before the Super Bowl in 2025, where the league worked with the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."
In 2025 alone, authorities reported seizing approximately $39.5 million worth of counterfeit sports merchandise, and more than $455 million has been seized since the program began in 2013.
"Additionally, the league has looked to take down fake websites and use authentication technologies with official merchandise and memorabilia sites using holograms, serial numbers, and digital verification systems, allowing consumers to confirm authenticity online."
"The last piece of the puzzle is consumer education itself, with the NFL franchises and partners regularly warning fans before major events such as the Super Bowl about suspiciously low prices, unofficial sellers and counterfeit websites."
Dr Dan Plumley also warned NFL fans to prepare for paying more than $200 for their favourite team’s NFL jersey within the next decade.
It is entirely plausible that an official NFL jersey could cost more than $200 within the next decade.
"We have seen the way that sports merchandise has gone in recent years, with ever-increasing prices for official jerseys and merchandise."
"Given the rising costs of products and services more generally based on long-term inflation, higher production costs and increasing licensing values, coupled with the premium nature of sports merchandise, and strong demand from fans and collectors, a $200 standard NFL jersey by the mid-2030s is a very realistic scenario."
"Premium and custom jerseys are already approaching or exceeding that threshold today, with some official custom NFL jerseys retailing for around 189.99-209.99, so it is a trend we are already seeing at the higher end of the market," he concluded.
Our Methodology
The study aimed to determine how much the counterfeit sports merchandise market has cost each of the 32 NFL teams in 2026, and which NFL teams have been affected the most. To do so, the study accumulated search data from three separate platforms, using nine different search terms to complete the full findings.
The three platforms included Etsy, Google Shopping, and TikTok Shop, and the nine search terms included [team name] jersey; [team name] shirt; [team name] uniform; [team name] replica jersey; [team name] fake jersey; [team name] football jersey; [team name] NFL jersey; [team name] cheap jersey; [team name] 2026 jersey.
All search volume data was sourced via Keyword Tool and factored in the US only. The Data dated back to April 2026, when the first wave of 2026 jerseys went on sale via NFL Shop and Fanatics (2026 NFL Rookie Draft Class Jerseys), until September 2026.
The study then assumed that each search was representative of a missed sale. Therefore, the cost of an official 2026 NFL jersey ($149.99 via Fanatics) multiplied by the total number of searches equals the estimated losses for each NFL team.
These searches were run for all 32 NFL teams, and those teams were ranked accordingly from most to least searched, and subsequently from most to least estimated losses via missed jersey sales.
