By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

Thursday night was an interesting one for football fans. Two quarterbacks made their respective debuts.

Peyton Manning came out for the Denver Broncos and Robert Griffin III had a brief, but spirited showing for the Washington Redskins.

Thursday night’s preseason game was the first time Manning has played while not wearing an Indianapolis Colts uniform. He played for the Colts since 1998, but missed all of last season recovering from neck surgery.

Manning played just one drive – completing 7-of-14 passes – and threw an interception in a 31-3 win over the Chicago Bears.

Watching Manning in a Denver uniform may have been a little weird, but NFL fans and collectors will have to get used to seeing Manning in orange, white and blue.

There are few cards right now that depict Manning in a Broncos uniform. Currently, the 2012 list reads Bowman, Panini National Convention, Prestige (which were given away the National Sports Collectors Convention in wrapper redemptions), Score, Topps and Topps Inception.

Manning is holding up a Denver jersey from his press conference on 2012 Elite cards and on one of the Panini Father’s Day promotion cards, Manning is wearing a Broncos t-shirt.

Griffin also had a short outing, but he finished his series with a touchdown after completing 4-of-6 passes for 70 yards in a 7-6 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Griffin has been one of the hottest rookies on cards this offseason. He was drafted second behind Andrew Luck, and many optimistically wonder if the Redskins will finally have a franchise quarterback.

He has just five Rookie Cards so far (Bowman, Elite, Prestige, Score, Topps), but that hasn’t stopped collectors from getting their hands on everything they can of him. His best-priced Rookie Card is Prestige, which is numbered to 699 and has a high book value price of $40 (Need an OPG or checklist for Griffin? Click here).

But the autographs have been the real money cards for RG3. His 2012 Topps Tallboys autograph recently sold for $999 on eBay. Also, a 2012 Topps Inception 1/1 sold for $1,241 in an eBay auction.

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Football magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.

Join Beckett Football‘s Andrew Tolentino and Dan Hitt as they rip into a box of 2012 Prestige football cards from Panini America in this latest edition of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out …

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

On May 5, Eric LeGrand, the former Rutgers standout who was paralyzed on the field of play two years ago, tweeted showing off his new NFL jersey was going to be available to the masses soon with the proceeds going to spinal cord research.

Today, with the first glimpse at a card from the upcoming 2012 Prestige from Panini America, he has something else to tweet about.

His Rookie Card.

While the 6-foot-2, 275-pound former tackle is paralyzed from the neck down, that didn’t stop his former college coach, Greg Schiano, who is now in charge of the Tampa Bay Bucs, from signing him to the franchise’s offseason roster.

With that, card No. 301 in Prestige has come to life and it will be found in packs of cards beginning this week.

It won’t be his lone Rookie Card as LeGrand appears on the preliminary checklist for at least one upcoming Topps football product, but for now it’s the one that will get all of the attention and adoration of the 64,000-plus fans on Twitter following his journey off the football field, one with the mission of trying to walk once again.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

The names have been called, the jerseys have been made and there’s one thing left to do for Panini America as the NFL Draft continues.

Make the football cards.

Up first on the Texas-based company’s schedule is 2012 Prestige, which arrives in June with No. 1 pick Andrew Luck, No. 2 pick Robert Griffin III, No. 3 pick Trent Richardson and more. (Need an Andrew Luck checklist or OPG? Click here.)

But before the cards can be printed, they must be mocked up. The company unveiled a selection of cards on Thursday night as the Draft carried on.

See the first four … after the jump.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

Panini America will continue to be on the gridiron.

Well, its cards that is.

The NFL and NFLPA announced on Monday that they have renewed their card deals with the Texas-based card-maker for as many as 18 sets a year.

“We’re pleased to continue our relationship with the NFL and the NFLPA,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “The NFL and NFLPA are two of our most important licensors, and these new agreements will enable us to continue producing sought after products for NFL fans for years to come.”

The first product of the year will be 2012 Prestige, which arrives in June. (Need a complete checklist for a past Prestige set or an OPG? Click here.)

“We are pleased to continue working with Panini America to offer our fans more ways to connect with the NFL and the players they love,” said Leo Kane, NFL senior vice president of consumer products, in a prepared statement.  “Panini America has been – and will continue to be – a great teammate for the NFL.”

The NFLPA echoed that sentiment.

“The NFLPA is pleased to extend our partnership with Panini, a proven industry leader and innovator of NFL player trading cards.  Panini football product continues to be highly pursued by hobby enthusiasts and novice collectors alike,” said Keith Gordon, President of NFL PLAYERS INC., the marketing and licensing subsidiary of the NFLPA.  “We, along with our players, look forward to Panini’s ongoing product development, hobby enrichment programs and support of our marquee events including the NFLPA Rookie Debut and Rookie Premiere.”

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

Sure, it took Tim Tebow two tries to attempt a trade from the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets, but Panini America was on it the first time around.

With a look at his first Jets football card and its first NFL card set of 2012 — Prestige.

Whether this card makes its way into packs — or is replaced by something else — remains to be seen. Heck, things might change again by draft day.

Tell us what you think of the move in our polls below — and leave a comment.

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Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

Peyton Manning will be a Denver Bronco this season, meaning the above card will appear in 2012 Prestige football packs from Panini America.

We want to know what you think of the move on cards — for both Manning and current Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Tell us by taking the polls below and leaving a comment.

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Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

Where will Peyton Manning go?

That’s the question on the minds of many NFL prognosticators as they power up their expertise and expect to play NFL Nostradamuses any time now — well, at least in advance of the forthcoming End of Days … and Manning’s signing that is.

Will Manning end up with one of the four teams Panini has previewed while also unveiling the look of 2012 Prestige on Wednesday?

Only time will tell. Check out the other three cards after the jump — and tell us where you think Manning will end up in the comments below.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.