The rookie quarterback watch is getting louder by the week, and Week 5 only added fuel to it. Fernando Mendoza finally got into an NFL game after the Raiders dropped their second straight, getting blown out by the Patriots. That cameo immediately raises the question of whether the 2026 No. 1 overall pick is next in line to take over, or whether his first start is still somewhere down the road.
Mendoza, though, might not even be the rookie who gets there first. The Cardinals are sitting at 1-4 and heading into games against the Rams and Broncos over the next two weeks, which could open the door for third-round pick Carson Beck to make his move sooner rather than later.
Neither quarterback has a clean path to the field right now, and that kind of uncertainty tends to matter in the hobby. With Panini’s NFL releases arriving sporadically in recent years and premium products often not hitting until months after a season ends, the delay around two of the top three quarterbacks selected in 2026 can actually work in the market’s favor.
Topps, meanwhile, has pushed officially licensed NFL product aggressively, including Flagship before the season begins, which has only made it more important to track when young players actually get their first real shot. For collectors, Mendoza and Beck remain names to watch closely.
While the rookie buzz builds, Trevor Lawrence is quietly giving the Jaguars real staying power. Jacksonville is tied for the second-best record in the AFC and looks clearly ahead of the rest of the AFC South, which should at least put a playoff berth within reach for Lawrence and company.
Lawrence has been far from the letdown label that followed him early in his career. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick is putting together a strong 2026, with 10 passing touchdowns, a top-five passer rating among quarterbacks with at least four games played, and 1,174 passing yards, putting him near the top 10 there as well. After a career-best season last year, he seems to be carrying that momentum into his second year with head coach Liam Cohen.
The market has noticed. Lawrence’s big cards remain unusual pieces because of the lower print counts from his rookie year and the quality-control issues that came with that run.
His Silver Prizm PSA 10 carries a population of 139 and has only sold 14 times since July, according to Cardladder. His 2021 Donruss Optic Downtown PSA 10 has climbed about 25 percent from an early-August level around $1600, though that price point comes with a caveat, since the card has changed hands eight times in the last two months.
There’s real demand there, but also some skepticism baked in.
Bo Nix is heading in the opposite direction. The Broncos entered Week 5 sitting in the bottom third of the league in both passing and rushing, and there wasn’t an obvious injury excuse to lean on. Sean Payton took back playcalling in Week 5 in hopes of jolting an offense that had gone stale, but the result was still a rough 23-16 win over the Chargers.
At this point, the problem looks unmistakable: Denver has a Bo Nix problem. Over his first two seasons, Nix posted a 54:23 TD:INT ratio with 7,706 passing yards, numbers that were helped by one of the league’s heaviest passing attacks.
He has also been viewed as one of the better young quarterbacks in a league short on them. But this year has gone sideways, with Nix now in the bottom third among quarterbacks with at least four starts in both passing yards and completion percentage, even after the Broncos added Pro Bowl wideout Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins this offseason.
His card market has felt the slide. Nix’s 2024 Silver Prizm PSA 10 has recently sold for less than $525 on multiple occasions.
In August and early September, that same card was regularly fetching $780-$820, a range that was even stronger than where it stood when the Broncos were still in position to challenge for a Super Bowl run last year. There’s time for him to turn it around, especially with the AFC West looking weaker, but a return to preseason card values looks like a tall order right now.
In Other News...
Cardinals Tryout Move Could Signal Help At A Position Of Need
The Cardinals took a look at eight players in recent tryouts, a routine but telling move for a roster still getting sorted out in spots. The group covered a few different positions, with quarterbacks, linebackers and a cluster of wide receivers among the names brought in as Arizona continues to update its player database and keep tabs on available depth.
The most notable name in the mix was offensive guard Jamaree Salyer, a position that tends to draw extra attention when a team is shuffling through options. For a Cardinals club still working through areas of need, these kinds of workouts can be more than housekeeping, even if they do not always lead to an immediate signing. [Read more 🡒]
Monti Ossenforts Draft Record Is Giving Cardinals Fans A Real Debate
Monti Ossenforts draft rsum is starting to draw more scrutiny as the Cardinals keep sorting through the players he has added from 2023 through 2025. Several of the names attached to those classes have yet to give Arizona much reason for confidence, with players like Darius Robinson, Will Johnson, Clayton Tune, Elijah Jones, Tip Reiman and Max Melton all part of a conversation that has turned into more concern than celebration.
The worries are not just about one pick or one position group, either, which is why the evaluation of Ossenforts work has become such a real talking point around the team. The 2024 class has been a major source of frustration, and with the 2025 group still too early in its lifecycle to settle the debate, Cardinals fans are left weighing what the long view on this front might mean for a general manager whose future beyond 2026 is already getting a close look. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals QB Plan Puts One Stretch Of The Season Under A Microscope
Jacoby Brissett is still the Cardinals starter for now, but the quarterback picture in Arizona already has a date circled in pencil. ESPNs Dan Graziano reported that the team could eventually turn to Carson Beck around late November, a timeline that would give the rookie a more favorable landing spot than an immediate midseason switch.
For the Cardinals, the next few weeks may be more about survival than evaluation, with Brissett expected to hold the job unless injury or poor play forces a change. The schedule does not make that decision any easier, which is why Week 12 against the Commanders has emerged as the first realistic opening for a move that could define the second half of the season. [Read more 🡒]