Tetairoa McMillan has signed with Jordan Brand, because if you’re going to be the most stylish wide receiver to come out of the 2025 draft, you might as well make it official with the Jumpman logo stitched to your every route.
The Carolina Panthers rookie is the only NFL rookie to sign with Brand Jordan this year, which makes the deal less of a sponsorship and more of a coronation. It was brokered by Klutch Sports Group’s Joe D’Amelio and Zeke Sandhu, which also means it was less of a negotiation and more of a chess move. Klutch doesn’t just sign deals—they curate narratives. And this one’s got layers.
McMillan dropped hints before the ink dried, showing up to the NFL Draft in the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low “Black Phantom”, because when you’re about to go Top 10, it helps to dress like you already know something the rest of the league doesn’t. He went No. 8 overall to the Panthers, and just like that, Brand Jordan got itself a new face in cleats.
The connection gets even tighter when you consider Michael Jordan grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, not far from the team McMillan now headlines. So yes, this is about footwear and brand alignment—but it’s also about legacy. A Carolina kid starts a global brand. A new Carolina star helps carry it forward. That’s not a sponsorship. That’s a story.
Jordan Brand has been growing its NFL roster in recent years—Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Puka Nacua, Deebo Samuel, Maxx Crosby—each one a high-impact player with a style-to-performance ratio that skews higher than average. Adding McMillan to the list sends a clear signal: they’re not just betting on stats. They’re betting on swagger.
So yes, Tetairoa McMillan is now with Brand Jordan. Not because he’s loud. Not because he’s flashy. But because the quiet flex of walking into your first professional moment already dressed like a future franchise is the exact kind of energy Jordan Brand knows how to bottle. And now, he gets to wear it.