Peyton And Eli Manning Join Athlete NFT Craze With Charitable Auction

Two of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of the last 30 years are joining the NFT market with a drop coming on April 16.

What Happened: Brothers Eli Manning and Peyton Manning are launching eight non-fungible tokens.

Eli Manning compared owning an NFT to buying sports cards and that you could buy it as a collectible or something to trade later on.

“However you want to use it is up to you,” Manning told Stuart Varney on Fox Business.

NFTs aren't an area Manning thought he would ever be in. He told Varney he was pushed by older brother Peyton to look into NFTs to see if it was something they could do.

“It’s easier to show people through the digital world and through the social networks than a piece of art you have living on your wall.”

Related Link: Hall of Fame Resort Entertainment Shares NFT Launch Details

About the NFTs: Eight NFTs in the series will be launched April 16 at 3 p.m. ET on MakersPlace, a marketplace for NFTs.

There will be open and limited-edition versions of the NFTs and one-of-one offerings. Different price points will be featured for the Manning NFTs.

The Manning Legacy Collection features NFTs created by JK5 and former baseball player Micah Johnson. The pieces are said to depict the Mannings on and off the field.

One piece will even pay homage to Peyton’s “Omaha” phrase that was often said in pre-snap counts during games.

“Collaborating with JK5, Micah Johnson and their teams gave us the opportunity to handcraft each individual piece so that they are truly unique to us and elevate for the growing collectors base,” Peyton Manning said in a statement.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit charities including Tackle Kids Cancer and the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent.

NFL NFTs: The Mannings join a growing list of celebrities and athletes that are launching NFTs.

Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have all launched NFTs and seen strong demand from investors and collectors seeing the value in the limited numbered digital assets.