Four-Legged Fans: Meet the Pets Named after Famous NFL Players

Dak Prescott is a six-year-old cat from Blufton, South Carolina.

Dak Prescott watching a Cowboys game from their home in South Carolina

Peyton Manning is a one-year-old English Springer Spaniel from Tennessee.

Peyton Manning traveling to an away game

Who Dey isn’t just the name of the Cincinnati Bengal’s mascot, it’s also the name of an 11-year-old Toyager cat.

Who Dey relaxing on his Bengals blanket

In all, our team at pet medical insurance provider Trupanion, found more than 350 pets named after famous football players. And nearly 20,000 pets that share a name with NFL teams.

NFL Players with the Most Pet Names

Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott has more pets named after him than any other NFL player. Followed by fellow quarterbacks John Elway, Dan Marino and Tom Brady.

Non-quarterbacks with a significant number of pets named after them include Bo Jackson, Mike Ditka and Rob Gronkowski.

Rob Gronkowski is easily the most controversial name on this list. There are a handful of pets named Rob Gronkowski, however, there are also 241 pets named Gronk. We couldn’t confirm that the Gronks are directly named after the former New England Patriots tight end, but if you believe Gronk should count for Gronkowski, then he would have the most pets named after him.

Pet Names Inspired by NFL Teams

Players aren’t the only ones that have inspired some truly great pet names. We found thousands of pets who share a name with NFL mascots, NFL teams and the cities and states where teams play. Below is a look at how each team has inspired some unique pet names.

The Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders are the only teams without any pets named after famous players. The Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots all have four players who have inspired pet names. But the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are tied for having the most player-inspired names with five.

Arizona Cardinals

• Players with pets named after them: Larry Fitzgerald
• Pets named Big Red (Cardinal’s mascot): 49
• Pets named Arizona: 136

Atlanta Falcons

• Players with pets named after them: Matt Ryan, Julio Jones
• Pets named Atlanta: 17
• Pets named Falcon: 107

Baltimore Ravens

• Players with pets named after them: Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed
• Pets named Poe (team mascot): 769
• Pets named Raven: 2,803

Buffalo Bills

• Players with pets named after them: Josh Allen, Von Miller
• Pets named Buffalo BIll: 3
• Pets named Buffalo: 49

Carolina Panthers

• Players with pets named after them: Cam Newton
• Pets named Sir Purr (team mascot): 8
• Pets named Carolina: 128
• Pets named Panther: 321

Cam Newton with their favorite shirt

Cincinnati Bengals

• Players with pets named after them: Joe Burrow
• Pets named Who Dey (team mascot): 3
• Pets named Cincinnati: 4

Cleveland Browns

• Players with pets named after them: None
• Pets named Chomps (team mascot): 7
• Pets named Cleveland: 43

Dallas Cowboys

• Players with pets named after them: Dak Prescott (most of any player), Emmitt Smith
• Pets named Rowdy (team mascot): 758
• Pets named Cowboy: 812
• Pet named Dallas: 1,818

Denver Broncos

• Players with pets named after them: John Elway, Peyton Manning, Von Miller, Champ Bailey
• Pets named Thunder (team mascot): 1,028
• Pets named Bronco: 461
• Pets named Denver: 801

Detroit Lions

• Players with pets named after them: Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson
• Pets named Roary (team mascot): 49
• Pets named Lion: 112

Green Bay Packers

• Players with pets named after them: Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Vince Lombardi, Reggie White
• Pets named Green Bay: 1
• Pets named Packer: 80

Houston Texans

• Players with pets named after them: J.J. Watt
• Pets named Toro (team mascot): 275
• Pets named Texan: 3
• Pet named Houston: 297

Indianapolis Colts

• Players with pets named after them: Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne
• Pets named Colt (team mascot): 724
• Pets named Indianapolis: 2

Jacksonville Jaguars

• Players with pets named after them: None
• Pets named Jaguar: 65

Kansas City Chiefs

• Players with pets named after them: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce
• Pets named Chief: 1,482

Las Vegas Raiders

• Players with pets named after them: Bo Jackson, John Madden, Howie Long
• Pets named Raider: 442
• Pets named Vegas: 365
• Pets named Madden: 116

Los Angeles Chargers

• Players with pets named after them: Junior Seau
• Pets named Charger: 103

Los Angeles Rams

• Players with pets named after them: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua
• Pets named Rampage (team mascot): 33
• Pets named Ram: 24

Miami Dolphins

• Players with pets named after them: Dan Marino
• Pets named Dolphin:14
• Pets named Miami: 63

Minnesota Vikings

• Players with pets named after them: Randy Moss
• Pets named Viktor (team mascot): 74
• Pets named Viking: 43

New England Patriots

• Players with pets named after them: Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski
• Pets named Patriot: 72
• Pets named Gronk: 241

New Orleans Saints

• Players with pets named after them: Alvin Kamara
• Pets named Gumbo (team mascot): 250
• Pets named Raven: 2,803

New York Giants

• Players with pets named after them: Eli Manning
• Pets named Giant: 13
• Pets named New York: 5

New York Jets

• Players with pets named after them: Aaron Rodgers
• Pets named Jet: 1,174
• Pets named Jersey: 1,279

Philadelphia Eagles

• Players with pets named after them: Brian Dawkins, Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox
• Pets named after Swoop (team mascot): 7
• Pets named Eagle: 34

Pittsburg Steelers

• Players with pets named after them: Jerome Bettis, Aaron Rodgers
• Pets named Steeler: 50
• Pets named Pittsburg: 5

San Francisco 49ers

• Players with pets named after them: Jerry Rice, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana
• Pets named Sourdough (Sourdough Sam is the team mascot): 9
• Pets named 49er: 2

San Francisco 49ers fan Joe “Joey” Montana

Seattle Seahawks

• Players with pets named after them: Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Cooper Kupp
• Pets named Blitz (team mascot): 521
• Pets named Seahawk: 3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Players with pets named after them: Baker Mayfield
• Pets named Captain Fear (team mascot): 2
• Pets named Buccaneer: 4

Tennessee Titans

• Players with pets named after them: Warren Moon
• Pets named Titan (team mascot): 1,864
• Pets named Tennessee: 97

Washington Commanders

• Players with pets named after them: None
• Pets named Tuddy (team mascot): 14
• Pets named Commander: 26

Methodology

For this report, Trupanion analysts reviewed the names of over 1.1 million cats and dogs currently enrolled in Trupanion. Players needed to be on a team for at least two full years to be included.

About Trupanion

Trupanion is a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada, and certain countries in Continental Europe with over 1,000,000 pets currently enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet's recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet parents with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. With its patented process, Trupanion is the only North American provider with the technology to pay veterinarians directly in seconds at the time of checkout. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol "TRUP". The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly-owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company or ZPIC Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Accelerant Insurance Company of Canada or GPIC Insurance Company. Policies are sold and administered in Canada by Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. dba Trupanion 309-1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver, BC V7J 0A2 and in the United States by Trupanion Managers USA, Inc. (CA license No. 0G22803, NPN 9588590). Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. is a registered damage insurance agency and claims adjuster in Quebec #603927. For more information, please visit trupanion.com.