Buy or Sell? Myles Garrett Cards After Sack Record Hobby Impact

Myles Garrett set a new NFL single season sack record on January 4th when he recorded his 23rd sack of the season, and to say sports card collectors have noticed would be an understatement. His cards have exploded in value, with many collectors viewing the record as a prime opportunity to cash out while demand is at its peak.

Myles Garrett Card Prices — Graph illustrating the rise in Myles Garrett’s card prices over the past six months. | https://app.cardladder.com/players/Myles%20Garrett

One of his most sought-after rookie cards, the 2017 Panini Prizm Gold numbered to just 10 copies, sold Sunday night as a PSA 9 for $3,600 after selling for only $1,725 back in May. And while it’s reasonable to suspect the price swings are limited to the high-end market, that hasn’t been the case. Even his widely affordable 2017 Panini Donruss Optic Holo PSA 10, which could be bought for just $82 in October, sold Sunday for $400.

The 2017 Panini Donruss Optic Myles Garrett Holo PSA 10 rookie card sold for $400 months after selling for just $80. | https://www.psacard.com/cert/88429399/psa

Any time a player’s cards see a 400 percent jump in value, questions naturally follow about whether that pricing can be sustained over the long run, and a case can be made on either side. On the one hand, history suggests that defensive players typically struggle to hold their value over extended periods of time, regardless of the sport. And while there are certainly outliers, most defensive players usually follow that trend. For context, the highest recorded sale of a J.J. Watt card sits below $6,000, while Justin Jefferson's has cleared $80,000. With that in mind, it’s not unreasonable for collectors to approach Garrett’s market with a level of caution.

Justin Jefferson and J.J. Watt — A comparison of Justin Jefferson’s highest recorded card sale versus that of J.J. Watt. | https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?sort=price&direction=desc&q=justin%20jefferson

On the other hand, the city of Cleveland has long been known for its passion for the Cleveland Browns. The idea that true Browns collectors may want to hold onto some of Myles Garrett’s best cards as a reminder of his run is absolutely a possibility. As is the case in most markets, it all comes down to supply and demand.