Topps is officially back in the NFL.
In a new multi-year agreement announced by Fanatics Collectibles, the NFL and the NFL Players Association, Topps is returning as the league’s exclusive trading card licensee for the first time since 2016. The deal restores Topps as the home of fully licensed NFL cards, meaning products will once again include official team logos, uniforms and league marks.
That makes this more than a standard hobby release. For football collectors, it is the return of one of the category’s most recognizable brands to the fully licensed NFL card space. For the league and Fanatics Collectibles, it is a fresh attempt to pair NFL star power with premium card design, high-end chase elements and event-driven collector experiences.
The first major release under the new arrangement will be 2025 Topps Chrome Football, which will be available April 15 at Topps.com, hobby shops, Fanatics Live, NFLShop.com and major retailers worldwide. Pre-orders begin April 3, and hobby boxes will retail for $360.
Topps
WE ARE SO BACK. Topps and the @NFL have reunited for a long-term exclusive trading card partnership… We can’t wait to show you all what we’ve been cooking up.
Why Topps’ NFL return matters to collectors
Topps has remained a major force in sports cards, but this deal gives the brand something football collectors have been waiting on for years: a fully licensed NFL product line tied directly to the league and its players.
That matters because official logos, uniforms and team branding are still a major part of what makes NFL cards feel complete to many collectors. In practical terms, the new deal gives Topps a chance to re-establish itself in one of the hobby’s biggest spaces with a product built around both recognizable branding and premium-level chase cards.
It also gives the launch a broader audience than a niche collector story. NFL fans who do not follow the trading card market day to day will still recognize the significance of Topps returning to fully licensed football cards after nearly a decade away from that role.
Topps is introducing new NFL chase-card concepts
Topps is not treating the relaunch like a quiet return.
Among the headline additions are Topps Rookie PREM1ERE Patch Autograph Cards, built around a one-of-a-kind patch worn by players during the first time they suited up for a regular-season NFL game. The patch, worn on the right chest and featuring “PREM1ERE” plus the player’s rookie class year, will later be removed, authenticated and inserted into a 1/1 autograph card.
The inaugural checklist includes members of the 2025 rookie class such as Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Cam Ward and TreVeyon Henderson.
Topps is also launching NFL Honors Gold Shield Autograph Cards, which feature game-worn gold shield patches from 2024 AP award winners. Those patches come from the base of the jersey collar and are embedded into 1/1 autograph cards. The first group includes Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Patrick Surtain II, Jayden Daniels and Jared Verse.
The clear play here is to make the relaunch feel premium immediately. Rather than simply returning to the market with another logo-bearing football product, Topps is building around scarcity, authentication and player-specific storytelling.
The rollout goes beyond the cards themselves
Topps and the NFL are also planning a multi-day fan and collector activation around the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. According to the announcement, that will include free packs, live pack openings and a Collector Celebration Day on the field at Acrisure Stadium on April 25.
That piece matters because it shows how the company wants this to land as an NFL event, not just a product drop. The brand return is being positioned as a fan experience tied to one of the league’s biggest offseason stages.
“This partnership between the NFL and Fanatics Collectibles brings together the league, our players and a best-in-class collectibles platform to better serve fans and grow the trading card hobby,” NFL SVP of consumer products Casey Collins said in the announcement. “We’re excited to welcome Topps back as our exclusive trading card partner, and by leveraging their expertise and innovation, we will reach fans and collectors around the world with one-of-a-kind offerings and experiences.”
Fanatics Collectibles CEO Mike Mahan added: “In partnership with the league and the players association, we are excited to build a program that honors the legacy of the game while introducing never-before-seen levels of innovation, storytelling and premium design. We look forward to bringing our passion for football to life through our incredible products.”
For the NFL, this is a licensing headline. For Topps, it is a long-awaited return. And for collectors, the real test starts April 15, when the brand’s first major fully licensed NFL product in years hits the market.