Three great rookie cards of Cleveland Browns starter Joe Flacco
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Joe Flacco has been named the Week 1 starter for the Cleveland Browns. Announced via post on X by Adam Schefter, it has since been reported by other media outlets, including NFL's official account.
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Sources: Browns are naming Joe Flacco as their Week 1 starting quarterback vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. pic.twitter.com/XND3YQ0NrC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 18, 2025
When he sets foot on the field Sunday, September 7 the ageless wonder will be 40. He beat out Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Huntley, Kenny Pickett and Shedeur Sanders, none of whom are older than 27 years old. Deshaun Watson is still on the roster but is more than likely out of the entirety of the 2025 season with a ruptured Achilles.
With Flacco under center again, here are three of some of the better rookie cards collectors can hunt.
#3 2008 Stadium Club Gold Autograph #/50
Once upon a time ago, Topps had the license to make NFL cards, and one of the better looking sets was Stadium Club. In 2008 Joe Flacco's gold autograph, numbered to 50, was one of the nicer cards a collector could have. Stadium Club's highlight is the photography, and while today's baseball Stadium Club cards feature players in out-of-the-ordinary poses, Flacco is locked and set to throw.
According to eBay sold listings, this card can be acquired for around $35.
#2 - 2008 Topps Chrome Rookie Autograph
It's both basic as it is iconic. The Topps Chrome flagship set is as collectible as anything out there, and the chromium versions make them that much better. Collectors who've been in the hobby immediately can recognize the 2008 set with the team name on top with the circles surrounding each letter.
This piece, according to 130point, is valued $50, with the last sale occurring on June 6, 2025.
#1 - 2008 SP Authentic rookie patch auto #/999
A highlight of any player when it comes to cards is their rookie-patch-auto (RPA) card. A piece featuring their signature and hopefully a multicolored swatch of a game-worn or player-worn jersey. Upper Decks' SP Authentic was the gold standard for RPAs when they had the licensing for other sports outside of hockey.
The above piece is Flacco's 2008 SP Authentic RPA, graded a PSA 8. The RPAs are historically thicker cards and are harder to grade, being more susceptible to condition issues. But the horizontal oriented card is a clean white, with a cut out photo of Flacco. The serial numbers are vertically oriented, an odd design choice by Upper Deck.
This piece, according to eBay sold listings, went for $86.10 on August 11, 2025.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz