The top first-time Hall of Fame eligible quarterbacks and their cards

The list of first-time NFL Hall of Fame eligible players is close to 20, not to mention the more than 100 still eligible but yet-to-be elected. Looking at the new list of players, who last played in 2020, here are the top three quarterbacks and their rookie cards.

Philip Rivers | 2004-2020 (Chargers, Colts)

Philip Rivers was indirectly a part of the infamous Eli Manning draft-day drama on April 24, 2004. Manning was the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in 2004 with the San Diego Chargers owning the pick. But Manning and his father Archie came out and said that Eli would not play for San Diego.

San Diego picked Manning, but they had a deal in place with the New York Giants, whereas they would pick Philip Rivers. The teams traded quarterbacks with the Giants sending a few more picks to finish the deal.

Rivers would go on to make eight Pro Bowls, and throw for 421 touchdowns and 8,134 yards in his career.

Rivers' rookie card comes out of the 2004 Topps product, with the chrome version garnering the most value. This simple, yet clean design features a rookie Rivers winding up for a pass, the team name stretched across the whole top and his name and position nestled in the bottom left corner.

According Card Ladder, this card in a PSA 10 is valued around $176. The highest sale coming in at $599.99 on September 8, 2020. The last sale being $161.50 occurring on September 16, 2025. As unbeleiveable as this sounds, this card right after his rookie year on January 13, 2005 went for just $22.69.

Alex Smith | 2005-2020 (49ers, Chiefs, Redskins/Wash. Football Team)

Alex Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. The talk at the time was Alex Smith versus Aaron Rodgers at the first pick. The 49ers went for Smith while Rodgers famously slid to the No. 24 pick.

Smith enjoyed a 15-year long career, despite a devistating leg injury. He went on to earn three Pro Bowl appearances and won the 2020 Come Back Player of the Year after he returned from the leg injury.

The biggest rookie card of Smith's is his 2004 Topps Chrome rookie, the Gold X-Fractor parallel, numbered to 399. Value of the PSA 10 version of this card is hard to come buy. Searching the PSA site, this card has a pop count of just 28. Currently, one on eBay is listed for $250. A raw one, according to 130 Point, was sold for just $46 September 9, 2025.

Drew Brees | 2001-2020 (Chargers, Saints)

Drew Brees, the most decorated quarterback on this list, was drafted in the second round (No. 32 overall) by the San Diego Chargers. Brees made one Pro Bowl with the Chargers before a significant shoulder injury. Not knowing how the shoulder would fare, the Chargers drafted Philip Rivers and Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2006.

He went on to earn 12 Pro Bowls with the Saints, and delivered the franchise's first and only Super Bowl championship in 2009.

The biggest rookie card of Drew Brees is hands down his 2001 Playoff Contenders rookie autograph, graded a PSA GEM MT 10. It's a classic card and comes from the same set as Tom Brady's most famous rookie card.

The card features a Drew Brees in front of a blue and yellow background with the Chargers logo. His autograph is at the bottom just above his embossed name and team name. The autograph is on a silver space in dark, black pen.

Nearly 20 years ago in 2007 this card went for $177.50. After the COVID boom, this card hit an all-time high on February 17, 2021 when it went for an astronmical $40,350. The last sale was about two weeks ago, and showed a drop when it went for $16,800 on August 31, 2025.