Reid's Rips: 2016 Panini Contenders Football Hobby Box
In my new series affectionately titled Reid's Rips, I will take you along for the ride as I open a wide range of sports card boxes one by one.
For the past few months, there has been a single box of 2016 Panini Contenders Football calling my name every time I step into my LCS.
The 2016 NFL Draft class turned out to be one of the most solid in recent memory, featuring quite possibly the greatest running back of the era in Derrick Henry, Dallas Cowboys team cornerstones Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, and Kansas City Chiefs turned Miami Dolphins lightning-fast "Cheetah" Tyreek Hill to name a few. One of the hottest QBs in the league, Jared Goff, has continued to come into his own even more in recent years and now has the Detroit Lions as a perennial Super Bowl contender. What I am trying to say here is that there are a number of more than solid rookie options in the class. A totally worthwhile rip, if you will. Heck, even then Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz had a number of years where collectors would be happy to pull his rookie auto out of a Contenders box.
At $350, I bit the bullet and dug in.
Early on, I hit a Panini points card worth 400 points. OK.
The first rookie auto I pulled was that of Scooby Wright, III of the Cleveland Browns. Wright III was a stud while playing for the University of Arizona, capturing multiple national awards in 2014, including the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Lombardi Award, and more, being honored as the nation's best linebacker. Even with that being said, I don't think there was any point in time that anyone would be overly excited to pull this card.
My second autograph was New York Jets undrafted free agent wide receiver and kick returner Jalin Marshall. The Ohio State product was in and out of the NFL within two years and bounced around elsewhere in pro football for a hot minute.
The next rookie auto I pulled was probably the best in the box when I hit a cracked ice rookie auto of Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie running back Peyton Barber. Barber played six seasons in the NFL, rushing for 2,500 yards and over 20 touchdowns during his career.
It's always fun ripping packs from years past. We almost forget about some of the cool subsets and insert cards, certain teams forgotten players suited up for, and cool teammate combinations such as this Touchdown Tandems I pulled featuring Pittsburgh Steelers duo Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. No one has forgotten about that combination. Man, that was magical time in the Steel City.
My next hit was an on card autograph of Raiders rookie running back DeAndre Washington. The Texas Tech stud was a fifth round draft pick. Washington racked up four seasons with the Raiders then bounced and played very sparingly in Kansas City and Miami before he was out of the league in 2020.
The only remote star or semi star rookie year card I got was a Rookie of the Year Contenders Kenyan Drake parallel numbered out of 99.
My final autograph was a rookie sticker auto of Tennessee Titans wideout Tajae Sharpe. Sharpe spent parts of five seasons in the league, totaling just over 100 receptions, 1,300 yards, and eight touchdowns for his career. Ouch.
As a final Hail Mary, I pulled a Gridiron Digital Contenders Rookie Ticket gold autograph of...Tajae Sharpe.
I got a little box drunk after seeing that bad boy on the shelf for so long and figured with so many big rookies, I would take my chances to see if I could pull just one. The answer was a resounding no. I should have left this one collect even more dust. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and as I stand here holding these cards in the fourth quarter of 2024, I have about $25 of total value. It was a fun rip that just didn't pan out.
These things happen.
Tony Reid spent more than a decade covering combat sports at the highest level. He has written hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of interviews about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett, Sports Collectors Digest, and Sports Collectors Daily. Reid worked full time at a sports card shop in Central Pennsylvania for a number of years. A lifelong collector, Tony treasures his rookie card collection of star players in baseball, basketball, and football. If you want to discuss the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey Jr., you can reach him at @tonyreidwrites on all social media platforms