Sam Darnold Signing Boosts Memorabilia and Card Market
![Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) smiles before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_92/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Fsi_collects%2F01jp2qgtfgy5q5z5rqad.jpg "Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) smiles before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
One year ago, you'd have had a difficult time finding many collectors with a positive outlook on the Sam Darnold card market. The former third overall pick had flamed out in New York and brief stints in Carolina and San Francisco hadn't helped his case. Oh, what a difference a year can make.
On Monday night, Darnold signed a 3-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks, cementing himself as the signal caller for the foreseeable future.
Last season, on a one-year deal with Minnesota, Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record, good for second in the NFC North and a spot in the postseason. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they fell to the Los Angeles Rams during Wild Card Weekend, but Darnold's 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 102.5 passer rating did enough to completely flip the narrative on him within the NFL, and the collecting space.
When an NFL QB receives that kind of investment from a team, collectors take notice and this time it's no different.
Darnold's new contract and new home is expected to vastly increase the demand for not only his cards, but also his memorabilia. Expect to see signed helmets, jerseys and photos all moderately increase in value while rookie cards, rookie autos and RPAs will receive a solid boost from Seahawks fans entering the Sam Darnold market.
The difference between the market for someone like Darnold, who just signed a new contract, and Josh Allen, who just did the same thing, is initial value. It's close to impossible to find Josh Allen cards with good value, especially since he won MVP this season. However, there are still good pieces of Darnold memorabilia and cards out there to scoop up at a decent price. So, if you think Darnold is set to build on the year he had last season and continue his stellar play, now is a good time to buy.
The downside for the Sam Darnold market is the corresponding moves the Seahawks have made around him. Coming into the offseason, Seattle had one of the strongest receiving corps in the entire NFL with Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Just a few days into free agency and two of those three names are gone.
Tyler Lockett was released earlier this month as a cap salary casualty. In response, DK Metcalf requested a trade and was subsequently dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 second-round pick and a swap in the sixth and seventh rounds.
So, if you're a Seahawks fan who is bullish on the Samn Darnold Market or someone whoi just believes in his ability to improve his play, now may be the time to jumpo in. However, beware that this year's Seahawks offense is not the same as the one we've seen in recent years.
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Brian has been covering sports and collecting cards for more than a decade. Following both the NFL and MLB draft has become a passion both professionally and personally, so expect lots of prospecting news coming your way. As a loyal Philadelphia sports fan, most of his collection is either athletes on his favorite teams or ones that grew up in the area.