Rob Springs, Director of Football Product Development at Panini America, Inc.
Hobby Musings: How will Brady’s move to Bucs affect his cards? – NFL free agency has started off with a bang, but no move has been bigger than Tom Brady’s decision to leave the Patriots for the Buccaneers. A 20-year constant for New England, it will be interesting to see how Brady’s move to Tampa Bay goes. Aside from how unfolds on the field, it also means collectors will be seeing Brady in a new uniform on his trading cards. To find out more about what this means for Panini, I had the chance to catch up with Rob Springs, Director of Football Product Development at Panini America, Inc., over email.
KS: Rob, I along with most of the world was stunned by Tom Brady’s decision to leave New England and sign with the Buccaneers. What was the reaction for all of you down at Panini?
RS: I think everyone had the same reaction. I don’t think many were surprised at him leaving the Patriots, but I think most of us expected him to sign with either the Chargers, Raiders – or even the Titans as of last week. The Bucs came out of nowhere over the past couple of days.
KS: From a trading card perspective, what does this do for his market?
RS: I think we have to wait and see. Obviously, he won’t have the collectability he had with the Patriots, but the fact that the Bucs don’t have a huge hobby following will certainly damper it further. It’s not like when Montana went from the 49ers to the Chiefs – the Chiefs have just as rabid a fan and collectible base as the 49ers. This is different. However, I don’t think this will really impact his previous Patriots cards.
KS: I know it’s early, but when can expect to see Brady on cardboard in a Bucs uniform?
RS: Typically, we like to work up some cloned images and get them into late Q2 releases like Elite, Prestige and Gold Standard. (See 2020 Panini Football product previews here.)
KS: What about for things that require additional assets like autographs or used relics?
RS: Autographs would run along the same timeline – we can do anything sticker based whenever we want. Anything on-card would be further down the road towards the end of the year.
KS: What does this do for the card market of some of his new teammates like Mike Evans?
RS: Yeah, it could really help those players. Mike Evans has been super solid, but not really collected. Same thing with Chris Godwin. The skill position players around Brady could see a climb.
KS: Brady isn’t the only big name to change teams. Out of all the action we’ve seen so far, which player do you think is likely to get a big hobby boost because of his new team?
RS: The catch with most of the big names that have moved so far- they are not with overwhelmingly collectable teams, from a hobby perspective. DeAndre Hopkins is a possibility, but really, Kyler Murray is most likely to see the hobby increases because of that trade. Teddy Bridgewater in Carolina could see a nice boost, as well.
Hobby Musings: How will Brady’s move to Bucs affect his cards?
- Hobby Musings: London Card Show Continues Growth - April 23, 2024
- Hobby Musings: Signatures For Soldiers in Middle of Busy 2024 - April 11, 2024
- Hobby Musings: Busy and Exciting 2024 for Leaf - April 3, 2024