The NFLPA have ended their relationship with sports card manufacturer Panini, giving rival manufacturer, Fanatics, licensing three years earlier than expected.
An announcement was made following an email, sent by the players union, to agents which informed them of their decision to terminate Panini’s contract, as reported by Darren Rovell on X:
BREAKING: NFLPA says it has terminated its relationship with Panini effective immediately in letter sent this afternoon to agents.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 21, 2023
Fanatics is in three years early.
Panini cannot produce any NFL cards with players names or likeness. pic.twitter.com/z7CoEJwR9U
At the moment, it’s unclear what the specific reasons are for the NFLPA to cut short their agreement with Panini, but it comes almost two years after they announced that Fanatics, who now own Topps, would begin a 20-year exclusive football card license, starting in 2026.
Fanatics now hold the exclusive rights to produce NFLPA-branded sports cards three years early – However, right now, Panini still holds the exclusive licensing for the NFL, in a separate agreement, which covers team logos and uniforms, although that agreement is expected to also be terminated.
The move will mean the end of some popular Panini football card products, like Prizm and Optic, among others – It remains to be seen whether Fanatics will release any Topps NFL products for collectors this season.
