Benzinga | Apr 26, 2021 05:12PM EDT

Trevor Lawrence Lands Gatorade, Cryptocurrency Endorsement Deals Ahead Of NFL Draft

The projected number one overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has been busy signing endorsement deals before taking a snap.

What Happened: Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence announced a new deal with Blockfolio to promote the company's app.

The deal makes Lawrence the first athlete to get a large portion of their signing bonus in cryptocurrency. Proceeds will be deposited into Lawrence's Blockfolio account.

"We're excited to announce our partnership with football star, Trevor Lawrence," Blockfolio tweeted. "The world of sports and crypto will never be the same."

Lawrence will help educate fans on cryptocurrency with the Blockfolio app. The promotion includes showing fans how to use Blockfolio to buy, sell and trade cryptocurrency with no fees.

Lawrence tweeted that he was pumped to announce he was teaming up with Blockfolio. The bonus for Lawrence is reported to be paid in Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana.

Related Link: Why NFL Player Russell Okung Takes Half His Salary In Bitcoin

Why It's Important: Blockfolio parent company FTX is pushing hard in marketing spend to increase brand awareness. The company signed a deal for the naming rights to the Miami Heat stadium.

Lawrence is projected to be taken with the first overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also became the first quarterback since Cam Newton to land a national Gatorade endorsement deal.

The Gatorade deal brings Lawrence into a portfolio of younger athletes like Zion Williamson and Fernando Tatis Jr to help the PepsiCo Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) brand appeal to a younger generation.

The NFL Draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, April 29 on Walt Disney Co's (NYSE:DIS) ABC and ESPN and the NFL Network.

Photo credit: TigerNet, Flickr