The 2025 NFL season has roared past its midpoint, and the playoff races are taking shape as teams enter the final two months.
MVP candidates Drake Maye and Jonathan Taylor have powered the Patriots (8-2) and Colts (8-2) to the best record in the AFC, along with the Broncos.
Third-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has helped fuel the Seahawks (7-2) to top of the NFC while putting up numbers that are eye-popping and on a record pace. And Baker Mayfield has continue his career resurgence for the Bucs (6-3), who lead the NFC South.
So, how have those four stars performed in the hobby? Let's look at the movement in their card markets over the last couple months.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots QB
Maye has become one of the hobby’s biggest football stars amid a breakout sophomore season.
The Patriots were just 3-9 in Maye’s 12 starts as a rookie, but an 8-2 record through 10 games this year has reimagined his card market and long-term potential.
Maye’s cards tracked by Market Movers are up 53% collectively over the last 60 days across more than 37,000 sales. Of those cards, Maye’s 2024 Prizm Silver PSA 9 has been his most popular graded card with nearly 250 sales — that card has jumped to more than $160 after selling for closer to $50 at the start of the season.
The high-end of the market has been good for Maye, too, with his 2024 Panini National Treasures NFL Shield 1/1 PSA 9 fetching $164,700 at Goldin on Nov. 1 to set a record for any Maye card at public auction.
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels quickly became the top hobby star from the 2024 NFL Draft, but Maye appears to have claimed the title so far in 2025. Of the NFL players tracked by Market Movers, Maye’s more than 37,000 sales are by far the most over the last 60 days and easily outpaces Daniels’ more than 22,000 in second place.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks WR
The football card market is largely driven by quarterbacks, but a handful of truly elite receivers have gained traction among collectors as well. So far this season, Smith-Njigba has joined that group.
Of the top 20 best-selling football players over the last 60 days, the Seahawks' third-year receiver is one of just seven non-quarterbacks with more than 5,300 sales logged by Market Movers. And of those 20, he’s one of just three active players with collective positive price growth.
Smith-Njigba’s market has been heavily driven by his 2023 Donruss Downtown, with more than 40 sales over the last two months across both PSA 10 and PSA 9 examples. PSA 10 copies of that card once sold for around $275 toward the start of the season but have since jumped to more than $900 recently.
Smith-Njigba, who has topped 1,000 yards in just nine games and could make a run at Calvin Johnson's single-season record of 1,964 yards, has bucked the hobby’s quarterback-or-nothing trend so far in 2025, but he’ll likely have to ascend into a tier of stardom with Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson to stay there.
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts RB
Taylor isn’t exactly a breakout candidate — he has been a star for a while — but he’s leading the league in rushing (1,139) and touchdowns (15), and he delivered the longest run of the season (83) in the Colts' victory over the Falcons on Sunday in Berlin.
At this point in the season, there’s a very real chance Taylor becomes the league’s first non-QB to win MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012. Off the field, collectors have adjusted their focus accordingly.
Taylor’s cards tracked by Market Movers over the last 60 days have jumped 24% in price collectively, making him one of just seven players among the top 40 best-sellers with positive price growth over that period of time.
His most popular graded card among collectors over the last two months has been his 2020 Optic Holo PSA 10 with 45 sales. That card has jumped in price 150% since the beginning of the season and is now averaging around $100.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
Mayfield isn’t a legitimate MVP candidate anymore, but the Bucs are still 6-3 and well-positioned to win a weak NFC South.
The former No. 1 overall pick’s resurgence both on the field and in the hobby has been fascinating — though collectors are still somewhat cautious about investing heavily.
Market Movers has tracked more than 2,800 sales for Mayfield over the last 60 days, which places him among the top 50 best-selling players tracked by the tool. Those cards are up 19% in price collectively over that period, making him one of just eight players among the top 50 with positive price movement.
Mayfield’s best-selling card over the last 60 days has been his 2018 Donruss Base PSA 10, which is up 81% in price across more than 100 sales. A $53 card two months ago, that Donruss Base PSA 10 is averaging closer to $95 today.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the collectibles editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.