The day I've been dreading.
Today is an incredibly sad day for the trading card industry. Panini Group will lose its NFL and NFLPA trading card license at the end of today. Following this, Fanatics, through Topps, will assume exclusive rights to produce trading cards related to these licenses starting April 1, 2026.
Panini produced officially licensed NFL cards from 2010 through 2026 (spanning roughly 16 full seasons of products). 2025 Panini Silhouette Football, released just days prior on March 27, 2026 (Hobby boxes), will go down in history as their last ever NFL release.
I'm going to miss the vibrant, modern look, depth, and consistent quality of their Prizm cards. I doubt Fanatics will strike a deal to keep this series going, considering they own its direct competitor, Topps Chrome.
No Topps NFL sets have been announced (due to licensing restrictions). Should Topps decide to release a set soon, I don't expect to see a flagship or Chrome release. A Topps Fire release would be more suitable, given that the previous season ended not too long ago.
Sellers have already jacked up the prices of their sought-after Panini cards. The buy-it-now prices for cards featuring "Tom Brady" have skyrocketed recently.
For example, I was looking to purchase a 2022 Panini Prizm Fireworks No Huddle Prizm F-3 Tom Brady, and the cheapest copy I could find is over $40; in comparison, this card sold for as low as $4.50 last year. This is marked up by about 900%!
April 2, 2026 update: Topps announced today that the 2025 Topps Chrome Football will be their first licensed NFL product since 2016. Pre-orders are open tomorrow, April 3rd, at 12 PM EST, with an April 15 release. Here's the MSRP for each product:
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Hobby Box: $349.99.
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Jumbo Box: $649.99.
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Mega Box: $69.99.
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Value Box: $39.99.
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Hanger Box: $19.99.
This means fans will most likely receive two "Topps Chrome" NFL sets in 2026. As much as I enjoy opening Topps Chrome, the thought of purchasing two sets in the same year feels like too much.