Mint Musings: Can RG III and Manziel Find Hobby Redemption? – One of the more interesting names in free agency came off the board as former No. 2 pick Robert Griffin III signed with the Cleveland Browns. Griffin will presumably be filling in for Johnny Manziel, another former first-round pick who was let go by Cleveland earlier this off-season. Both players started off their hobby careers with a bang and high sales, but have fallen out of favor with collectors and speculators alike as their careers have stalled.
Dong a quick search on eBay, autographs for both players appear to still be moving fairly steadily. Manziel’s lower-end autos seem to be selling in the $20-$34 range while Griffin’s lower-end licensed autos appear to still be going around the $35-60 mark. Some of his earlier Leaf autographed cards are going for even cheaper. While not bottom of the barrel in any ways, it’s certainly a far cry from the prices their items were fetching when they debuted.
Griffin’s signing with Cleveland has been met with trepidation from both fans and collectors. Doing a quick take of the temperature, it seemed many collectors weren’t crazy about the prospect of RG III signing with the Browns. It’s easy to understand why as their track record with quarterbacks is less than stellar. If Griffin had signed with a team like the Broncos, there’s no doubt it would be received better.
As crazy as this sounds, I’m actually not too skeptical about Griffin’s signing with the Browns. While 
Cleveland seems to be a place where once promising quarterbacks go to die, I’d argue that Griffin has more talent and upside than the grand majority of the other quarterbacks who have been there. While it will be a challenge for him there, I do think he could be successful with the right system in place.
I’ve been fairly high on him for hobby predictions and think he could still recover to be a serviceable QB in the league and a steady option in the hobby. Mind you, I’ve been saying that for the last two years, so hopefully this is the year he proves me right.
For the sake of full disclosure, I don’t have any of his cards in my personal collection as I don’t collect a lot of football. With that being said, I’ve been considering buying an autograph or two of his while the prices are low. I’ve often said we’re in the golden age of buying singles, and with the lower prices that are available for many players, it’s quite a bit easier to take a chance on getting players.
One big complication of Griffin’s situation is that the Browns are still expected to take a quarterback with the second pick in this year’s draft. If they do decide to go that route, it could very easily undermine any potential uptick for Griffin.
Mint Musings: Can RG III and Manziel Find Hobby Redemption?
Manziel’s hobby future is even less clear. While Griffin at least put together a successful rookie season, “Johnny Football” hasn’t been able to replicate the success he had at Texas A&M. Combined with a number of serious off-the-field incidents, it hasn’t exactly been a recipe for success. As of this writing, there are no indications that there are any teams interested in signing Manziel. However, he did recently sign with Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him with a team next season. Goodness knows if I was a football player, I’d want Drew Rosenhaus in my corner.
Only time will tell how the hobby futures, and NFL futures for that matter, for both Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel play out. The odds aren’t great on either, but fans and collectors alike love a comeback story, and successful play from both could certainly help resurrect their hobby prospects. While I’m not particularly optimistic on Manziel, I do think Griffin can still make a good go of it.
As with any other hobby purchase, be careful and think prudently when deciding how to invest your hobby dollars. I do think Griffin could be a good, buy-low opportunity. If you’d rather wait to see who Cleveland drafts this year, I think that wouldn’t be the worst idea. It will certainly serve as a telling part of his future.
The same wait and see approach could be applied to Manziel as well. At least until a team tries to sign him to a contract. Either way, there are plenty of options to pick from on the secondary market for autographs and rookie cards of both players, so you won’t have any trouble finding good deals on either.
Kelsey’s ability to bring hobby coverage to the mainstream sports fan as the producer of ESPN’s Mint Condition has been a true asset. GTS is happy to feature his thoughts on the hobby in Mint Musings. The opinions expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect those of GTS Distribution.
- 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