Topps is making licensed NFL football cards again. 2025 Topps Chrome Football is set to debut April 15, with pre-orders beginning April 3 on Topps.com. It's the first fully licensed Topps NFL product in over a decade and the biggest shakeup in football card collecting since Panini took exclusive control in 2016.
Fanatics Collectibles, the NFL, and the NFLPA announced the multi-year deal on April 2, 2026, making Topps the NFL and NFLPA's official exclusive trading card licensee. Panini's exclusive license terminated on March 31, 2026. After ten years of Prizm, Select, and National Treasures running the show, a new era starts in five days.
What's Inside 2025 Topps Chrome Football
The set features a 400-card base set filled with veterans and rookies along with a deep parallel lineup from base Refractors to 1/1 Superfractors. Hobby boxes will each include one autograph, while jumbo boxes offer a pair of signatures. The collection will feature players from all 32 NFL teams, in addition to select NFL legends.
The headline chase cards are all 1/1:
The Topps Rookie PREM1ERE Patch Autograph cards feature embedded patches that were worn by players before being removed, authenticated, and inserted into 1-of-1 autograph cards. The PREM1ERE patches were taken from the jerseys worn by members of the 2025 rookie class during their first NFL game. The PREM1ERE series will include patches worn by the 2025 rookie class, including players like Jaxon Dart, Cam Skattebo, Cam Ward, and more. Comparable MLB versions have sold for five figures, signaling strong chase potential for top rookies.
The NFL Honors Gold Shield series includes the gold shields worn in games by 2024 AP award winners like MVP Josh Allen, Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley, Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II, and Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels.
Beyond the 1/1s, Image Variations are back for the first time since 2015. The set introduces Tecmo Super Bowl inserts and autographs struck on-card in white ink. Notable autograph signers include legends Tom Brady — who hasn't had pack-pulled licensed autographs since 2021 — and Barry Sanders, veterans Josh Allen and Jahmyr Gibbs, and standout 2025 rookies like Jaxson Dart and Tetairoa McMillan.
One detail that matters: Dart and Ward signed exclusive deals with Fanatics that prevented them from signing Panini cards. This is the only place to get a licensed Jaxson Dart or Cam Ward rookie auto.
Box Prices and How to Buy
| Box Type | Price | Guaranteed Autos | Purchase Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby Box | $349.99 | 1 | EQL (lottery) |
| Jumbo Box | $649.99 | 2 | EQL (lottery) |
| Mega Box | $69.99 | — | Open purchase |
| Value Box | $39.99 | — | Open purchase |
| Hanger Box | $19.99 | — | Open purchase |
The EQL format on Hobby and Jumbo means collectors enter for a chance to purchase rather than buying directly, a format Fanatics/Topps has used to manage high-demand releases and reduce reseller advantage. Retail formats are open purchase, which is the better entry point for collectors who'd rather rip packs than fight a lottery.
What Happens to Panini
After March 31, 2026, Panini cannot produce licensed NFL cards. Flagship lines like Prizm, Select, and National Treasures end in their current form. Panini will produce unlicensed or NFLPA-only football cards after 2026 — player photos without team logos, names, or helmet designs. Historically, unlicensed releases trade at significant discounts, often 30-60% lower than licensed equivalents.
Panini filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fanatics, claiming the deals created an unlawful monopoly across multiple leagues and player associations. Fanatics countersued. That litigation is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, sealed 2025 Panini products have climbed 20-40% as collectors chase last licensed editions. That premium could hold for high-end products like National Treasures but will fade fast for overproduced base-level releases.
What Collectors Should Do Right Now
The April 15 drop is five days out. Here's the short list:
Target retail first. $69.99 Mega boxes and $19.99 Hangers don't require an EQL lottery win. Hobby boxes at $349.99 are steep for a one-auto guarantee.
Hit the NFL Draft activation. Topps and the NFL are planning a multi-day, interactive celebration of the trading card hobby at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, where fans can learn about collecting, receive free packs, and watch live pack openings. The experience will culminate with Collector Celebration Day on April 25 at Acrisure Stadium.
Be patient on singles. Watch for Dart, Ward, and Skattebo rookie autos on the secondary market within 48 hours of release. First-day pricing is almost always inflated. Give it two weeks before committing serious money.
Don't dump your Panini collection. Elite cards from the Panini era — Mahomes Prizm silvers, Herbert National Treasures RPAs, Stroud Chrome autos — still represent their own chapter in the hobby. The floor drops on generic base, not on the flagship chase cards.
Chrome is the right product to lead with. It's Topps' strongest brand, the refractor chase is proven across three sports, and the PREM1ERE Patch concept is a genuine innovation that Panini never matched in football. The EQL system is annoying, but it beats watching resellers clean out hobby boxes in three minutes.
The real question isn't whether Chrome Football will sell — it will. The question is whether Fanatics resists the urge to flood the market with a dozen Chrome variants by September. They've shown restraint in the NBA transition so far. If they do the same here, Topps NFL cards could carry real weight long-term.
One company now controls licensed cards for the NFL, NBA, and MLB. That's unprecedented, and the monopoly concern is legitimate. But on the product level, this first set looks strong. Collectors win in the short term. Whether they win long-term depends on how Fanatics handles print runs over the next two years.
“I love Topps baseball. I think Panini is garbage.”
— r/footballcards“Looks exactly how I thought it would look. Bland and boring as is the Topps way.”
— r/footballcards“I don't think this specific draft class has a 'Cooper Flagg' level prospect to chase.”
— r/footballcards“Honestly, as someone who's been collecting the silver refractor autos of legends and RCs in MLB and NBA, I look forward to adding some big names from the NFL release.”
— r/footballcards“Panini been scamming and selling damaged cards... I'm glad they losing the license.”
— r/sportscards“Topps completely butchered Chrome baseball with their prices. It rotted on shelves. I'll just be waiting for their generic series when that comes out.”
— r/footballcardsTopps Chrome Football is back after more than a decade. We'll be tracking prices on PullRate the moment singles start moving on April 15.