Fanatics Just Dropped the Biggest NFL Card Deal in a Decade, and Collectors Are About to Go Wild

Fanatics is officially back in the NFL card game, and they're coming in hot. Under the Topps brand, the company will produce fully licensed NFL cards for the first time since 2016, and they're bringing some serious heat with a debut patch program that's going to have collectors scrambling.

What Makes This Deal Actually Different

Topps is rolling out a bunch of new stuff to make these cards stand out. We're talking one-of-one-numbered Rookie PREM1ERE Patch Autograph cards straight from players' first regular-season games. But here's the kicker: they're also launching NFL Honors Gold Shield Autograph cards, which feature actual gold NFL shields pulled from the jerseys of 2024 Associated Press award winners. We're talking MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year winners who earned those honors during the 2025 season. That's the kind of stuff that makes a card actually feel special.

Michael Mahan, Fanatics' CEO of collectibles, told ESPN this is "a spectacular moment for our company, for the industry and for collectors." He emphasized that what they're doing with the patches "deepen and strengthen connections and storytelling" while "enhancing fan experience." This patch program isn't brand new to Fanatics either. They've already been running it successfully with MLB and NBA cards, so they know what they're doing.

How We Got Here

Fanatics has been quietly gobbling up licensing deals across pro sports. They dropped $500 million to acquire Topps back in 2022 after winning exclusive MLB rights in 2021. Then in October, they became the exclusive NBA trading card licensee. Now the NFL is theirs for 20 years, starting with the 2025 Topps Chrome Football release on April 15. The deal came after Fanatics signed an agreement with the NFL Players Association that kicked off back in 2023.

This is a massive consolidation of power in the card world, and it's happening fast. Fanatics is now the exclusive provider across three of the four major sports leagues. When those first packs hit shelves on the 15th, expect the collector community to be all over it.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.