US Bank becomes official NFL bank and wealth management sponsor in multiyear deal

US Bank has announced a multiyear partnership with the NFL, becoming the league's official bank and wealth management sponsor in a deal that makes the institution the first holder of the NFL's retail banking rights since Truist held them from 2021 as part of a broader Visa financial services arrangement that ended after last season.

Marketing Dive reported that the partnership includes US Bank as presenting sponsor of the Super Bowl MVP Award and a top-tier sponsor of the NFL Flag Championships, with new creative under the bank's ongoing "Power of Us" campaign in development to feature NFL intellectual property and talent.

Michael Lacorazza, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at US Bank, said it is a generational opportunity to become an NFL sponsor and that the bank was at a place where its brand was ready to take on a bigger stage in its evolution, describing the deal as the next step in leaning into culture and adding that the internal impact is as important as how it will be viewed externally.

Central to the partnership is the US Bank Financial Edge, a customised financial guidance programme for NFL players covering cash flow, charitable services, saving strategies, long-term wealth and entrepreneurship across all stages of players' careers.

The face of the programme is Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman-winning Indiana University quarterback widely expected to be the first pick in the NFL Draft on 23 April. Mendoza, who holds a business degree from UC Berkeley and is completing an MBA at Indiana University, has been appointed US Bank's Chief Financial Playmaker.

Read the full story behind this landmark NFL banking sponsorship.