With a loaded rookie class that included Vince Young and Reggie Bush, collectors couldn't wait to get their hands on packs of 2006 Topps football cards.
The two had just competed in one of the most-watched Rose Bowls in NCCA history.
Bush may have won the Heisman, but Young got the last laugh...
Over a grueling four quarters, Young and the Texas Longhorns came out on top 41-38 during the final seconds.
But Young and Bush weren't the only big-name rookies in 2006.
Mario Williams, A.J. Hawk, Vernon Davis and plenty of others also offered upside.
Combined with all the big-name superstars like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, the 2006 Topps set packed plenty of punch.
And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
2006 Topps #150 Tom Brady
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $70
Coming off a disappointing 10-6 season that concluded with a divisional-round loss to the Denver Broncos, Tom Brady's New England Patriots were looking to re-establish themselves as an NFL dynasty in 2006.
Brady was good but not great.
After back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons, he would fail to keep that streak alive.
Brady threw for 3,529 yards, averaging just 220.6 yards per game, his lowest since his sophomore season.
However, he tied his career low in sacks with 26 and interceptions with 12.
Brady's safe, measured play helped lead the Patriots to a 12-4 record and a postseason run that began with a 37-16 Wild Card blowout over the New York Jets.
After Brady threw what appeared to be a game-losing late interception in the Divisional Round versus top-ranked San Diego, receiver Troy Brown stripped the ball and New England recovered.
Brown proved to be the game's savior, as the Patriots took the lead with just a minute to go and advanced to the AFC Championships against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots took an early 21-3 lead but were buried in the 2nd half by Manning and multiple clutch kicks by former Patriot legend Adam Vinatieri.
2006 Topps #161 Drew Brees
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $60
2006 saw massive changes for the New Orleans Saints.
Still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, the city rallied around new head coach Sean Payton and new quarterback Drew Brees as the Saints finally returned to the Louisiana Superdome.
Brees thrived with the Saints in a way he never had with the San Diego Chargers, leading the league with 4,418 passing yards.
His 26 touchdowns to only 11 interceptions and a 64.3 completion percentage helped earn him a Pro Bowl selection and First-Team All-Pro honors.
Despite his incredible season, it wasn't enough to catch LaDanian Tomlinson in the MVP race.
At 10-6, the Saints finished 1st in the NFC South, earning a first-round bye for the first time in franchise history.
In the Divisional Round against the Philidelphia Eagles, the Saints' elite offense stalled out in the fourth quarter, narrowly escaping with a 27-24 victory.
For the first time since the organization began in 1967, the New Orleans Saints advanced to the NFC Championship.
Unfortunately for Saints fans, the top-seeded Chicago Bears and their overwhelming defense proved too much for the Saints, eliminating them in a 39-14 rout.
2006 Topps #84 Aaron Rodgers
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50
While many thought the San Francisco 49ers might draft Aaron Rodgers with the number one pick of the 2005 NFL Draft, they opted for Alex Smith instead.
Smith had a fine career.
But, fortunately for the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers fell into their arms with the 24th pick overall.
However, Rodgers spent his first three years as Brett Favre's backup, learning from the master as the team's heir apparent under center.
But it was an odd situation at times.
Favre's competitive fire didn't always lend itself well to tutoring his future replacement.
Coming off a devastating 4-12 season in 2005, the relationship between Rodgers and Favre had been less than ideal.
And there were doubts about whether or not Favre would stay with the team.
Favre ultimately stayed, and Rodgers again played backup behind the star quarterback.
Unfortunately, he got even less playing time than his rookie season.
The most playing time Rodgers got throughout the season was in week 11 against the New England Patriots.
He completed four of twelve passes before injuring his foot and ending his season.
2006 Topps #163 Ray Lewis
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50
After missing the playoffs multiple seasons in a row, it felt like the former Super Bowl champion Ravens and their star defender Ray Lewis would look to rebuild.
However, the signing of veteran quarterback Steve McNair and new young talent helped lead them to a much stronger 2006 season.
Lewis continued to shine as a defender, picking up two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a career-high five sacks for the season.
He finished 5th in Defensive Player of the Year voting but unfortunately missed the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row.
The revitalized Ravens finished the season 13-3, surpassing even their 2000 Super Bowl season's regular season record.
After a first-round bye, the Ravens squared off against the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning in the Divisional Round.
Lewis and crew handled Manning and his high-powered offense beautifully, allowing zero touchdowns on the day.
Unfortunately, the Ravens offense didn't sniff the end zone either.
It came down to field goals in what turned out to be an incredible battle of the defenses.
The Colts won that battle, getting Adam Vinatieri into field goal range five times, and he successfully converted all five to help Indy win a 15-6.
2006 Topps #280 Tom Brady
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50
2006 Topps #334 Devin Hester Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50
It had been over twenty years since the Chicago Bears appeared in a Super Bowl when Mike Ditka led his team to a 46-10 win over New England in Super Bowl XX.
Little did Bears fans know it when the 2006 NFL season started, but they would soon get another chance at a ring.
Devin Hester, the 57th pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, was one of the big reasons for this.
Though he could play just about anywhere, the Bears drafted the Miami Hurricanes star primarily as a return specialist.
It was a smart move.
Hester had arguably the most dominant performance by a special teams rookie in NFL history, leading the league in punt return yardage (600), punts returned for a TD (3) and kicks returned for a TD (2).
Towards the end of the season, teams began exercising extreme caution when kicking to him.
But the Indianapolis Colts didn't get the memo.
Or, at least, they ignored it.
In Super Bowl XLI, Hester took the opening kickoff for a score, making it the first and only time anyone returned an opening kickoff for a touchdown in NFL history.
Unfortunately for the Bears, the Colts avoided kicking directly to him the rest of the night and went on to a 29-17 victory.
2006 Topps #51 Peyton Manning
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40
With great talent comes great expectations.
And two-time MVP Peyton Manning was starting to enter conversations as one of the best players in NFL history never to win a championship.
In 2006, Manning and the Colts set out to change that narrative.
Manning led the league in passing touchdowns with 31 and quarterback rating (86.4), a stat that debuted in 2006, QBR.
The Colts QB earned his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and led his team to their fourth consecutive 12+ win season.
Still, Indy fans had seen this all before.
Would the playoffs turn out any different this time?
The 12-4 Colts began their playoff run in the Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs, cruising to a 23-8 victory.
Manning put kicker Adam Vinatieri in a position to close the game against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, where the Colts won 15-6 in a no-touchdown defensive battle.
And finally, after narrowly squeaking by the rival New England Patriots 28-24 in the AFC Championship, the Colts were in the Super Bowl.
Colts fans began to panic after a 14-6 first-quarter deficit against the Chicago Bears.
But Manning and crew played it cool, leading to a 29-17 victory and securing Manning his first championship and a Super Bowl MVP.
2006 Topps #200 Brett Favre
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35
Despite a disastrous 2005 season, legendary quarterback Brett Favre returned to the Green Bay Packers looking to right the ship in 2006.
After finishing 4-12 the year before and backup Aaron Rodgers waiting in the wings, Favre had even more pressure on his shoulders than usual.
So, in typical Favre fashion, the Mississippi native came out firing.
His career-high 613 attempts were tops in the NFL.
But that heavy volume came with a cost: his completion percentage dipped to a career-low 56%.
Thankfully, he took better care of the ball overall.
After posting a league-worst 29 interceptions in 2005, Favre reduced the amount of picks to a more Favre-like 18.
Unfortunately, he threw just 18 touchdowns.
Team success was as hit-and-miss as Favre's individual stats.
Another disaster like 2005 seemed imminent after the team started the season 4-8.
However, Favre and the Packers rebounded to close the season 8-8, narrowly missing the playoffs.
Still, Favre's time in Green Bay was quickly running out.
2006 Topps #288 Peyton Manning
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35
2006 Topps #16 Troy Polamalu
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30
The future looked bright for superstar safety Troy Polomalu after his incredible performance during the 2005 season.
Not only did Polamalu earl All-Pro honors and a third-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting, he'd also been integral in helping Pittsburgh to its fifth Super Bowl title.
Fans adored him.
Opposing offenses loathed him.
However, things didn't go as smoothly for the Steelers in 2006.
Still, despite the chaos surrounding quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the team failing to gel, Polamalu played up to the standard he'd set in 2005.
He forced one fumble and recorded one sack and three interceptions while picking up 77 combined tackles.
Polamalu's efforts earned him a 3rd consecutive Pro Bowl.
Despite an awful start, the Steelers found a rhythm in the back half of the season.
Unfortunately, the damage had been done, and the defending champions failed to make the playoffs.
2006 Topps #100 LaDainian Tomlinson
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30
With quarterback Drew Brees headed to the New Orleans Saints, the San Diego Chargers turned to their 2004 draft pick: quarterback Phillip Rivers.
LaDainian Tomlinson was thrilled.
Introducing a young, inexperienced quarterback increased the three-time Pro Bowler's workload even more.
But no one could have predicted what was about to happen.
The star running back had an incredible NFL-best 1,815 rushing yards while setting the record for most rushing touchdowns in NFL history with 28.
He even added 3 receiving touchdowns, leading the league in combined rushing and receiving touchdowns.
The Chargers began the season 4-2, proceeding to win every game for the remainder of the regular season.
In the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, Tomlinson had 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Unfortunately, one too many fumbles by his teammates and a missed kick in the fourth quarter caused the 14-2 Chargers to fall apart.
Though he would have preferred more playoff success, Tomlinson dominated the NFL MVP vote over his former teammate, Drew Brees.
2006 Topps #214 Ben Roethlisberger
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30
Defending NFL Champion “Big” Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers were hungry to defend their NFL title in 2006.
However, before training camp had even begun, Roethlisberger was involved in a near-lethal motorcycle accident with a driver who failed to yield.
Further misfortunes continued for Roethlisberger throughout the season, including an emergency appendectomy and a concussion.
Understandably, Roethlisberger struggled to maintain his form from his previous two seasons and posted a career-high 23 interceptions to only 18 touchdowns.
However, he did manage to post another more positive career high, with 234.2 yards per game.
The early chaos sent the Steelers into a spiral, and the former champions began the season 2-6.
Once Roethlisberger had worked himself back into playing condition and the team had found their stride, the Steelers showed their champion caliber and ended the season 6-2.
However, it was too late, and the 8-8 Steelers failed to make the playoffs and defend their title.
2006 Topps #363 Vernon Davis Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30
After a First Team All-ACC selection and consensus All-American honors in his final collegiate season, University of Maryland tight end Vernon Davis declared for the 2006 NFL Draft.
Davis was chosen 6th overall by a struggling San Francisco 49ers team.
Gone were the glory days of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young.
Davis was one of multiple young talents tasked with bringing pride back to the red and gold.
However, a midseason injury allowed Davis to play in just ten games (eight starts) during his promising rookie debut.
Still, he managed to pick up 265 yards and three touchdowns.
The 49ers were 5-5 with six games to go, but closed the season on a low note and finished 7-9, failing to make the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.
Davis would spend ten years with the 49ers, twice earning Pro Bowl honors.
He'd later earn a Super Bowl ring with the Denver Broncos during his one-year stint in 2015.
Still, despite a solid career, it never felt like Davis quite lived up to his lofty expectations.
2006 Topps #351 Mario Williams Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20
While Vince Young and Reggie Bush may have been the highest-profile players entering the 2006 NFL Draft, defensive end Mario Williams wound up as the first pick.
The Houston Texans felt like they had their quarterback and running back in Derek Carr and Ron Dayne, respectively.
So Williams was their guy at number one.
Fresh off an elite three-year career with the NC State Wolfpack, where he set the school's record for sacks, Williams was an early favorite for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Williams had a solid statistical rookie season for the Texans, forcing a fumble, picking up 4.5 sacks, and delivering 47 combined tackles.
However, he finished fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Instead, it was his teammate, linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who the team had drafted with the first pick of the second round, who took home the honor.
Ryans finished his career as a two-time Pro Bowler, while Williams earned the honor four times.
After ending the season on a two-game win streak, the Texans finished with a 6-10 record.
While they were far away from the playoffs, the future was looking up.
2006 Topps #359 Reggie Bush Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20
Heisman winner Reggie Bush was coming off a legendary career at USC and entering the 2006 NFL Draft as one of the most hyped rookies in NFL history.
With a new head coach (Sean Payton) and a new quarterback (Drew Brees) already in place, the New Orleans Saints were ecstatic to add Bush to their new offense with the second pick.
Bush rushed 565 yards for six touchdowns and added 88 receiving yards for two touchdowns.
He played well.
But he didn't match the hype that surrounded him.
Surprisingly, he finished only fifth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, far behind award winner Vince Young, who had placed second behind Bush in the previous year's Heisman voting.
Still, the Saints saw team success, finishing 10-6 and making the NFC Championships before losing 14-39 to the Chicago Bears.
2006 also saw off-the-field controversy for Bush, as it was the start of a four-year investigation into gifts Bush received from USC.
The investigation would eventually result in Bush forfeiting his Heisman award for over a decade until the 2024 NIL changes by the NCAA.
Interestingly, his rookie card comes in two variations.
2006 Topps Football Cards In Review
Unfortunately, collectors who loaded up on 2006 Topps football to stockpile Vince Young and Reggie Bush rookies never really saw the fruits of their efforts.
Both players had decent careers.
But they never came close to living up to expectations.
None of the rookies in this set did, really.
Don't get me wrong, a lot of these guys had outstanding careers and went to plenty of Pro Bowls.
But you had to have been around back then to understand how much hype there was around some of these guys.
And, to this day, Devin Hester is the only rookie from 2006 who made it to the Hall of Fame.
That doesn't make this set disappointing by any means, but it does leave plenty of thought about what might have been.
There 385-card checklist included multiple subsets on the back-end:
- League Leaders (#279 - 287)
- All-Pro (#288 - 307)
- Highlights (#308 - 310)
- Rookies (#311 - 385)
Again, had some of the rookies lived up to their lofty expectations, this set might get more attention than it does.
Instead, it turned out to be a pretty average set for the era while still offering a great design and plenty of star power.