NEW YORK — The NFL and Topps announced this week a sweeping new 20-year exclusive trading card agreement that the league described as “a landmark partnership” and financial analysts described as “a very long time to commit to cardboard.”
Under the deal, Topps — which returned to NFL licensing after a period of what the company diplomatically calls “renegotiation” and rivals call “losing the contract to Panini and then getting it back” — will be the exclusive producer of NFL trading cards through the year 2046, meaning several current top-selling players’ rookie cards will be printed by Topps long after those players have retired, become commentators, been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and possibly become commentators again.
The agreement includes physical cards, digital collectibles, and what both parties described as “immersive fan experiences” — a phrase used in sports business that has never once been fully explained to a child actually trying to open a pack of cards.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to the fan experience, the collector community, and the fundamental human desire to put laminated photographs of athletes in a shoebox under the bed.”
— NFL licensing executive, at a press event attended entirely by adults in suits
Topps’ return to NFL exclusivity coincides with a broader renaissance in trading cards, which surged in value during the pandemic as collectors rediscovered the format, flipped vintage cards for significant profits, and generated enough social media content that the hobby briefly became cooler than it had been since 1993.
The 20-year timeframe raised eyebrows among some contract analysts, who noted that it spans multiple media cycles, potential rule changes, at least four different phone form factors, and a still-unresolved debate over whether digital assets are “real” cards in any meaningful sense.
For the children theoretically at the center of the card-collecting hobby, the announcement arrived with little fanfare. A focus group of eight-year-olds, consulted by Globe News Daily, were more interested in the holographic shine pattern than the contract terms, and unanimously agreed that the most important attribute of any card is “the shiny one.”
The NFL’s sponsorship division also confirmed a new multi-year deal with US Bank, which will serve as the official bank of something football-related. Fans are encouraged to feel things about this.
Globe News Daily still has a 1991 Brett Favre rookie card somewhere. We’re not saying where.
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