Ray Lewis' announcement that he will retire after this season and the ensuing rush to buy his jersey has resulted in a perhaps unprecedented increase in online sales.

Using data from Fanatics.com, Chris Korman of the Baltimore Sun calculated that sales of Lewis' jersey have increased nearly 2,000 percent since Jan. 2, when he announced his impending retirement.

While Lewis was in the league's top 15 players for jersey sales throughout the entire season, his surge helped him surpass Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning as the NFLer with the most popular jersey. Behind Lewis and Manning are Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Thanks to the blizzard of Lewis jersey purchases, total sales for Ravens gear jumped 68 percent from the final week of the regular season to the days leading up to Baltimore's matchup with Indianapolis in the first round of the playoffs. That was the highest rate of any team in the league.

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