Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have a new logo on his feet when he lines up against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Rodgers, who has been playing in Nike shoes throughout his career, was seen on the sidelines during the preseason wearing the three stripes on his cleats and, on Thursday, Adidas confirmed it had inked a deal with the two-time league MVP.
"I've set the bar high throughout my career and the opportunity to collaborate and have influence on products and marketing with adidas is a game changer for me," Rodgers said in a statement.
Adidas group president Mark King, a Green Bay native, said the signing represented "a bold statement when the best player in the biggest sport leaves our competitor to join our team. This is just the start, as we continue to reignite our brand in America."
Last year, Adidas slipped behind Under Armour into the third spot in sales in the United States behind Nike. Around that time, the company reorganized, with King saying that Adidas would then focus on signing more athletes. To make room for more signings, Adidas didn't aggressively bid for the NBA apparel rights, which it has had for a decade. It made an immediate splash by signing Houston Rockets guard James Harden to a 13-year, $200 million deal this summer.
Although Adidas no longer has NFL on-field apparel rights -- that belongs to its competitor Nike -- the company does have a deal with the league that allows its players to display its logo on the shoes it makes.
Pursuing Rodgers represents a change in Adidas' strategy, as the company usually focused its efforts on signing players out of the draft instead of poaching those already signed with competitors. But giving two of the biggest deals in NFL history to Reggie Bush and Robert Griffin III didn't work.
Current Adidas endorsers in the league include Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray, Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham, Denver Broncos defensive end Von Miller and six 2015 draft picks including Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker.
The Adidas move isn't the only change Rodgers has gone through in the offseason. He left his longtime marketing agent and friend Andrew Jeter for Excel Sports Management after he was wooed by Tiger Woods' agent Mark Steinberg. Other than Adidas, Rodgers' biggest endorsement is with State Farm.