MINNEAPOLIS -- Even though he didn't play a game in 2016, Teddy Bridgewater might still be the Minnesota Vikings' most popular and marketable player. The data the NFL Players Association released on Wednesday would certainly corroborate that theory.

Bridgewater, who tore his ACL and dislocated his left knee last Aug. 30, was the Vikings' top-ranked player in the NFLPA's annual Top 50 Player Sales List, which the union posted Wednesday morning. Bridgewater was one of three Vikings players to make the list, ranking 35th overall and coming in a spot behind Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston and a place ahead of San Francisco's NaVorro Bowman.

Vikings safety Harrison Smith was 44th on the list, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs came in at 46th.

The fact that Bridgewater still ranks so highly is evidence of the following he'd been building in Minnesota and around the country. He's a likable, well-known college star who endeared himself to fans through simple acts of kindness, like returning to Louisville to take a fan to the prom in 2015 or surprising a 6-year-old fan by answering an invitation to his birthday party last year.

Even as Sam Bradford asserts himself as the Vikings' starting quarterback in Bridgewater's absence, Vikings fans still seem to be rooting fervently for Bridgewater's eventual return. The data the NFLPA released on Wednesday provides some tangible proof of Bridgewater's enduring appeal.