NFLPA kills Panini deal - clears Topps for cards now (updated)

NFL Players Inc. has killed its trading card deal with Panini America effective immediately, according to a memo sent out to agents on Monday evening.

The move gives Fanatics -- the owner of Topps -- the exclusive right to create cards using NFLPA players effective immediately and years ahead of its contracted entry into the realm for the 2026 season.

"Effective immediately, Fanatics has the exclusive right to make NFLPA-branded trading cards," read the message, which you can see below. "This decision has no impact on any individual players' contractual agreement(s) with Panini. If you represent any player(s) with an existing Panini agreement, the NFLPA recommends that you encourage the player(s) to fulfill his contractual commitments to Panini."

The move comes as both companies have lawsuits pending against each other for a number of topics, including anti-trust and employees' mass exits in recent months as an apparent attempted purchase by Fanatics previously failed.

Panini football's 2023 releases previously revealed and scheduled to come include Luminance (Wednesday), Prizm Draft (Aug. 30), Elite (Sept. 1), Plates & Patches (Sept. 8), Mosaic (Sept. 20), Black (Sept. 27), Gold Standard (Oct. 4) and Origins (Oct. 18). The 2023 editions of Legacy, Chronicles Draft, Mosaic Draft, Select Draft, Immaculate College and Score already had arrived.

We'll add more here once it's known or companies issue statements on the issue.

Update -- A Tuesday statement from Panini America: "We believe this was a totally unwarranted and improper action by the NFL Players Association in conjunction with Fanatics, especially in light of the unprecedented sales by Panini of NFL trading cards. Panini has grown the category of sports trading cards by over 1,000 percent since 2009 to the benefit of all concerned. We believe the only party who benefits for this action by the NFL Players Association is Fanatics, and not the players, the leagues or consumers. We note that in addition to the NFL Players Association license, Panini has licenses with the NFL and over 360 individual players. Panini will honor all of its contractual obligations."

Later in the day, filed a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association according to published reports.

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From The Forum: Collectors react & try to chew on licensing issues as they stand now.

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Blowout Cards issues statement on NFL licensing developments

Blowout Cards is closely monitoring the situation following the recent announcement by the NFLPA.

The demand for NFL cards has experienced a significant upswing in the past few years, and all eyes are on the 2023 rookie class, which is anticipated to be among the most exciting in recent memory.

In light of the current uncertainty surrounding upcoming releases and the unprecedented surge in demand within the past 15 hours following the announcement, we have taken the step to temporarily suspend pre-orders for forthcoming Panini America NFL items. This decision has been made to ensure that we can provide accurate information and a clear direction regarding the situation.

Furthermore, we'd like to bring to your attention that we've experienced an overwhelming influx of orders and inquiries related to NFL items spanning the years 2017 to 2023. Given the substantial volume of interest, we have made the careful choice to limit sales for these particular items. This measure is intended to manage our inventory levels as they have been steadily depleting.

We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience during this dynamic period. Our commitment to providing you with the best service and products remains unwavering. We will continue to keep you updated on any developments and changes as they arise.

Thank you for your continued support.

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