On Sept. 7, 2025, clad in a gleaming white Carolina Panthers uniform top, Tetairoa McMillan stepped onto an NFL field for his first regular-season action as a pro football player. Working against the Jaguars in Jacksonville, McMillan hauled in five catches for 68 yards, beginning his path to the most prolific debut season (in terms of receiving yards) in Panthers history and, ultimately, the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
It might have been easy for the casual observer to miss the small patch — bearing the word, “premiere,” styled as PREM1ERE, plus the year, 2025 — that was on McMillan’s chest during those initial hours of his career. But when he saw the patch several months later embedded on a trading card, it appeared to have an effect on him.
“You could tell that he knew that was something special,” said Clay Luraschi, SVP of products for Fanatics Collectibles, recalling McMillan’s reaction to the card when the receiver signed it in front of an audience at this month’s 2026 Topps Industry Conference.
In an interview this week, Luraschi said McMillan’s response was typical of players seeing their own cards — many of whom might be hoping to reacquire said cards as collectors.
“Every instance where I’ve seen it,” Luraschi said, “they actually take a second with the card, they look at it, they appreciate it. But I know they have it in their sight to try and get that card back at some point.”
