Three NFL MVP Candidates and Their Top Rookie Cards

With the NFL season at the midway point here in Week 9, we thought we should look at some of the top rookie cards from some of the top NFL MVP candidates. The MVP market has moved all over the place, but some familiar names sit at the top with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

However, a trio of dark horse candidates have also emerged. Patriots QB Drake Maye, Colts QB Daniel Jones, and Rams QB Matt Stafford all have risen up the rankings throughout the year. Plus, a long-shot bid from Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, who is putting up a historic season at the moment.

The Unlikely MVP Favorite: Patriots QB Drake Maye

We always hear how Kaboom's are the most popular case-hit from Panini, and yet for Drake Maye his Gold Vinyl Downtown 1/1 out-sold his Green Kaboom 1/1. An interesting nugget on an interesting player in the MVP race. Maye is an unlikely candidate for MVP, coming from outside of the top 10 to begin the season and now firmly in the top three. New England is greatly exceeding expectations and Maye is the reason behind it.

The Wiley Veteran: Rams QB Matt Stafford

There are much bigger Matthew Stafford rookie cards, but I wanted to highlight this one specifically because it is the top card sold during this season. Stafford's prices are up 9.2% over the last three months according to CardLadder so we should see more Stafford rookies pop up in the next few months especially with Stafford playing as well as he is. Some might remember the airstream hyperbaric chamber he spent most of training camp in and even if it seemed like pseudoscience, whatever it was, it seems to have been the fountain of youth for Stafford. That, or adding Davante Adams to Puka Nacua, could be either.

A fascinating trend for Stafford is the peak of his market was in 2022 after the Super Bowl victory over the Bengals. However, a few cards have started to pop back up, like this one, in his top sales. In fact, in the top 20 Stafford sales of all time (including non-rookies) only one is from this year -- this /99 National Treasures RPA.

The Career Renaissance: Colts QB Daniel Jones

Before the season Daniel Jones wasn't even the favorite to win the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback job and now here we are. A top-five MVP candidate and at the helm of a historic offense. Two of Jones' top three sales have come in the last week, the top sale being this 2019 Absolute Green Kaboom 1/1 at a crazy $25,000 on Oct. 28th. The other sale was on Oct. 25th for his 1/1 Black Prizm RC Auto for nearly $16,000. According to CardLadder, Jones' market is up 161% over the last three months showing just how improbable this season has been.

The Non-Quarterback: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor

Unfortunately with the way the MVP voting works, it is quite unlikely Jonathan Taylor seriously enters the MVP conversation. He is, however, the favorite for Offensive Player of the Year and the guy that is going to win you your fantasy football leagues. This 1/1 NT Laundry Tag RPA is Taylor's second-highest sale of all-time at $7,200 and it just so happened to be this week on Oct. 26th. Taylor's market is up nearly 52% over the last three months.