Quarterback Chaos: 3 Surprising Card Market Winners
Quarterbacks dominate the football card world, so it makes sense that the three players whose cards have increased the most this season are Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and Daniel Jones. Wait, what? Hold on, even in a quarterback-dominated league one wouldn’t expect to see big gains for these three without a time machine. Let’s figure out how these guys went from the hobby scrap heap to hobby relevance and what that means for collectors.
According to Card Ladder’s Player Indices, Darnold’s cards are up 35%, Mayfield’s 29%, and Jones’s 23% in the last month. Those are sizable gains, but it is important to remember that all three of these players’ cards had low starting points making large percentage increases easier. It’s also important to note that while their prices are up, their sales volume is still relatively low. Their percentage gains aren't the best indicator of their true place in the hobby.
.@BakerMayfield made it look easy for the @Buccaneers yesterday 🙌
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2024
24/30, 289 yards, 4 TD pic.twitter.com/g38Pb8OfEH
Darnold and Mayfield played well in the first two weeks justifying their price increases. While baseball collectors staunchly ignore players not on a path to the HOF, football fans have no such qualms, and quarterbacks who do well see their cards rise when the market is healthy even if they are destined for dollar bins.
Daniel Jones’ price increase is more of a head-scratcher. He’s played about like expected which means his cards should be cold. What has changed is that it is clear he’s the starter. His cards had dipped a bit when it looked like he might not start, and his price increase is simply a return to his pricing as a starter. In other words, Daniel Jones is not hot but has returned to his lukewarm hobby status.
19/25, 162 passing yards, and two touchdowns.
— NFL (@NFL) August 30, 2021
Sam Darnold looked sharp in his first extended action for the @Panthers. 👀 #NFLPreseason pic.twitter.com/mvEUbQ6THz
The fact that these three forgotten quarterbacks have seen large gains is a great sign for the football market. Collectors are itching to spend money on quarterbacks, and it will be interesting to see what happens to the pricing of a star quarterback who has a strong game under these current market conditions.
JOHN DUDLEY