Daniel Jones, the exiled former quarterback of the New York Giants, had a heck of a debut for his new team. Making his first appearance for the Indianapolis Colts, Jones passed for 272 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a 75.9% completion percentage. He also rushed for 26 yards and two touchdowns.
After a turbulent start to his NFL career with the New York Giants, Daniel Jones had a successful debut with the Indianapolis Colts. Following a Week 1 victory over the Miami Dolphins, a collector bought a Jones NFT for $10,000. What’s behind the sale?
Behind a solid Colts offensive line, Jones had the time and running lanes to make plays with his arm and legs. On the heels of his performance, which helped the Colts to a 33-8 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 7, a buyer purchased a Jones NFT for $10,000 the next day.
Per @NextGenStats:
Daniel Jones excelled on passes thrown outside the numbers, completing 10 of his 13 attempts for 160 yards and a touchdown.
He recorded 0.40 EPA per dropback and a total of 13.1 EPA on dropbacks, both his highest marks in a game since the 2023 season. pic.twitter.com/MXnNN0xb8p— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 7, 2025
The NFT, a 2019 Panini Blockchain National Treasures NFL Shield Autograph 1/1, previously sold for $400 in March 2021. The NFT was originally bought for $3,102 in Jan. 2020 from Panini Digital. The latest sale price for the Jones NFT is curious, considering a physical 2019 Panini NFL Shield Autograph 1/1 of Jones sold for $1,830 in Feb. 2025 at Goldin Auctions.
So, while Jones’ debut with the Colts is cause for excitement, the NFT sale is a stunning reversal from when the Giants released Jones last November, and his card market cratered. What else could be behind the sale price?
According to a Panini Discord community manager, the Jones NFT was one of the very first minted on the Panini blockchain, giving Jones’ NFT historic provenance. According to the X account @bumsterNFT, the Panini Discord manager wrote, “One of the first 100 NFTs/cards minted on our blockchain….Beginning in January of 2020….Most are the officially licensed firsts/debuts in blockchain history….So [people] pay a lot for them. Big premium attached to those cards.”
one factor explained by a Panini Discord community manager pic.twitter.com/9PbS1oYDAW— bumsterNFT (@bumsterNFT) September 9, 2025
Another Panini Digital card, featuring Jerry Rice, sold for $30,080 on Sept. 8, making it the third-highest-selling Panini football NFT ever. While the Jones NFT sale seems like a high-water mark for the market, its unique provenance as one of the first-ever NFTs produced by Panini, along with Jones’ potentially resurrected career, could make it the new norm for a digital marketplace that finds itself on an upswing.
Source: https://www.si.com/
