NFL Star’s Cards Gioing Up (and Down)
It’s football time! Fantasy drafts are well underway, the season is about to start, and the football card market is abuzz with more optimism than in recent years. Be it rookies, young stars, vets, or even retired heroes, football cards are in high demand, and prices are moving upwards.
Let’s see whose cards collectors are clamoring for in preparation for the new season. The new rookies will be popular as always, but there are some vets who are seeing major jumps in their card prices prior to the season. Using Card Ladder’s Player Indices, here are seven stars on the rise, and three who have seen better days.
The Gainers
Daniel Jones (+33%) Collectors are betting that a change in scenery and a clear hold on the starting job will bring out the best in Daniel Jones. Crazier things have happened, but the Daniel Jones speculation was a bit of a shock to me.
Travis Kelce (+30%) This one probably has to do more with off-the-field news than any on-field expectations. It could also be that he has cemented himself as one of the best TEs of all-time, but I’m betting that’s only 5% of the equation.
Micah Parsons (+27%) Parsons has been the biggest topic of conversation this offseason, and the attention has sent his cards upwards in price. Any attention is good attention for Dallas players.
Alvin Kamara (+20%) This one surprised me, but it shouldn’t have based on conversations that started popping up towards the end of last season. The question of whether Kamara is bound for the HOF started being taken seriously. He’s also the subject of many trade rumors, and a potential trade to a contender is likely aiding his card prices.
Josh Allen (+19%) Allen has seemingly taken the title as the consensus best quarterback in the NFL. It’s little wonder his cards continue to trend up. Expectations are through the roof for him, and it might take an MVP or Super Bowl win to meet them. He’s really good, and collectors like his cards. Sometimes it’s that easy.
Ezekiel Elliot (+18%) I guess collectors are looking for the next Saquon Barkley? I have no clue why they’d choose Elliot, but they clearly did. It’s worth noting that Barkley was only one season removed from being a highly productive back in the NFL when he had his monster season. Elliot will be three years out, which is an eternity in the NFL. Maybe it’s just Dallas fans with their eternal optimism.
Baker Mayfield (16%) He’s finally starting to get a smidge of respect again in the hobby. He’s a 30-year-old quarterback with a few solid seasons, but only one great one. That means collectors will flee for the exits at the first signs of struggle. Most are expecting big things from the Bucs this year, myself included, so hopefully we can see what the market for his cards is after two great seasons in a row.
On the Decline
Derek Carr (-52%) Those with cards dropping in price have one thing in common: a lack of opportunity to produce. Retiring is one way to ensure a lack of production. With Carr out of the league, his cards are now valued based on what he did in his career, as opposed to being valued by what he might do. While he had a solid career as far as those things go, it is clear collectors valued his potential way more than his actual production.
Desmond Ridder (-17%) Speaking of lack of opportunity, Ridder’s release from the Bengals should drive his cards further downward. He’s only 26, and in a league starved for quarterbacks, will likely get a shot to be a backup somewhere. My guess is that with the way collectors love to speculate on lower-tier quarterbacks, we haven’t seen the last of Ridder in the hobby.
Amari Cooper (-14%)- Cooper’s card prices are actually up from a year ago, but it seems that the inevitable long, slow decline of card prices for aging non-quarterbacks has begun. Cooper is a stretch, at best, to reach the HOF (seriously, the HOF hates receivers), and is on the wrong side of 30 to make serious additions to his résumé.
Wrap Up
Who are you all stocking up on before the season? Let me know in the comments below. FWIW, I’m mainly hunting cards of retired guys, but am naturally excited for Jayden Daniels as a Commanders fan.