The most expensive NFL jersey now sells for more than some homes, and prices keep climbing as record game-worn pieces hit seven figures. In this FlagOh guide, you’ll see which sales sit at the top, what really drives those values, and how to authenticate, protect, and display any high-value jersey you own or plan to buy.
Top Five Records for the Most Expensive NFL Jersey
The headline prices around the most expensive NFL jersey can sound unreal until you look at the stories stitched into each shirt. Final-game farewells, multiple Super Bowl runs, record-breaking touchdowns, and relics from the 1960s all show up in this top tier. These five examples map out how history, emotion, and scarcity combine to push a handful of jerseys into seven-figure territory.
Brady’s Final NFL Game Jersey
Tom Brady currently holds the auction record for an NFL jersey thanks to the game-worn Buccaneers shirt from his final appearance against the Cowboys on January 16, 2023, which sold at Sotheby’s for about $1.39 million. Photo-matching by MeiGray tied the jersey directly to that last game of a 23-season, seven–Super Bowl career, so collectors see it as a true “career full-stop” rather than just another playoff gamer.
Montana’s Two-Super-Bowl 49ers Jersey
Joe Montana sits in a different kind of elite tier with his red 49ers jersey worn in both Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XXIII, which sold for $1.212 million at Goldin. One jersey appears in two Lombardi wins and in the famous 92-yard “Drive” against the Bengals, plus it has the personal story of Jennifer Montana pulling it from a scrapbook with a note—“Maybe you want to wear it again”—which gives the piece a unique narrative you can’t replicate.
Tom Brady’s 2020 Buccaneers Jersey
Another Brady jersey, worn in the game where he threw his 699th and 700th career touchdown passes, reached around $1.2 million at a REFORM Alliance charity event. That price reflects not just the milestone game-worn shirt, but also the bundled experience of a private dinner with Brady and the charity angle that often pushes bids higher.
Montana’s Super Bowl XXIV Jersey
Montana’s white Super Bowl XXIV jersey, sold for roughly $720,000, represents a different facet of his legacy: the 55–10 demolition of the Broncos, still the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history, with five touchdown passes and another MVP performance. It’s the distilled symbol of peak late-’80s 49ers dominance.
Unitas And Brown Six-Figure Jerseys
Just below the Brady–Montana stratosphere are game-worn jerseys from Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown, typically landing in the high five-figure to low six-figure range. They combine Hall of Fame status, scarce 1960s gamers, visible use, and top-tier authentication, proving that even outside the modern era, early legends still command a strong, stable price band of their own.
These record sales highlight a simple pattern: legendary players, unforgettable games, and rock-solid authentication are what separate museum-level jerseys from everything else in the hobby.
Most fans will never chase those price tags, but you can still treat your own favorites like centerpieces—frame them well, build a wall around them with flags and décor, and let a brand like FlagOh help turn that corner of your home into a personal hall of fame.
What Makes a Jersey the Most Expensive NFL Jersey
Prices at the very top of the market aren’t random. Any jersey that ends up being talked about as the most expensive NFL jersey usually sits at the crossroads of a superstar player, a memorable game, real scarcity, and the right moment in the hobby cycle. Once you see those levers at work, it becomes much easier to understand why one shirt turns into an auction headline while another never moves beyond basic fan-gear status.
Player, Moment, and True Rarity
At the top end of the market, the same three things keep showing up: who wore the jersey, what happened in it, and how replaceable it is. Jerseys from Hall of Famers and era-defining quarterbacks start on a higher rung because their careers carry more weight. Add a big stage—Super Bowls, record nights or final career games—and you’ve got a moment collectors can point to. If that jersey is also a one-off, photo-matched gamer rather than something mass-produced or easily swapped, you’re in the small zone where six- and seven-figure prices are realistic.
Retail, Signed And Game-Worn Jerseys
Jersey type quietly explains why two shirts with the same name on the back can be worth completely different amounts. Replicas made from lighter polyester with printed numbers are great for wearing, but almost never rise above basic fan-gear prices. Authentics with heavier fabric, stitched tackle twill, and proper tagging feel closer to what players wear on the field and can pick up extra value in limited or special editions. Signed jerseys climb higher, especially for stars with clean autographs and strong Certificates of Authenticity (COAs). The very top of the market, though, is driven by true game-worn pieces—with visible wear, repair, and photo-matched use in important games—because they tie directly to specific plays and nights fans still remember.
Hype, Timing, And Market Trends
Even with the same player and a similar game, timing can bend value up or down. Retirement announcements, Hall of Fame speeches, documentaries, and viral clips all concentrate attention and can spark short bursts of aggressive bidding.
The wider memorabilia market also runs in cycles, with hot periods where prices jump and cooler stretches where even strong items sit closer to recent comps.
That’s why experienced collectors focus on completed sales and personal meaning more than hype: timing can push a jersey into “most expensive of its kind” territory, but those spikes are the hardest part of the equation to predict or rely on.
Jerseys that break records typically blend all four factors: Name value, iconic moments, one-of-a-kind wear, and a surge of attention from collectors. Using the same lens on your own collection helps you decide which pieces deserve framing, insurance, and a prime spot on the wall. That kind of intentional, story-first approach is the same one our FlagOh community uses when they build out their fan spaces.
How to Check If Your Most Expensive NFL Jersey Is Actually Real
Expensive NFL jerseys attract serious money and, unfortunately, serious fakes. Collectors who get burned usually skipped at least one of three basics: checking materials, verifying paperwork, or sanity-checking the listing. Building a simple routine around those steps goes a long way toward keeping you out of trouble.
Visual and Material Checks: Tags, Stitching, Fabric
Your first filter is always what you can see and feel. Check that the manufacturer tags and NFL shield match the brand and era the jersey is supposed to come from—logo style, fonts, and placement should line up with real examples.
Then look at construction: Authentic jerseys use dense, clean stitching and properly layered tackle-twill names and numbers on heavier knit or mesh; fakes often feel thin, look sloppily sewn, or use slightly “off” fonts and spacing. If the tags, stitching, fabric weight, and lettering don’t match what that team actually wore, you can usually rule the jersey out before you ever touch a COA.
Certificates of Authenticity, Holograms, and Serial Numbers
Once a jersey passes the eye test, the paperwork has to back it up. A real COA clearly names the player, describes the jersey, lists a unique serial number, and identifies the authenticator. Hologram stickers should point to an online database entry that matches the piece in front of you; if a code can’t be verified, assume the worst.
For game-worn items, photo-matching to high-resolution game images is the strongest proof and often adds a price premium. Always treat COAs and holograms as something you verify directly with the issuing company, not as decorations you accept on faith.
Red Flags When You’re Buying “Most Expensive” Jerseys Online
Big money and bad listings rarely mix well. Be wary of offers that only show stock or blurry photos, refuse close-ups of tags and stitching, or lean on vague “in-house” COAs from unknown names.
If the asking price is far below recent sales for similar jerseys, there should be a very clear reason. When something feels off, compare the listing against completed auctions from major houses and see where comparable items actually sold.
And if a seller ducks simple questions, won’t send more pictures, or won’t talk about returns and insurance, it’s usually a sign to step back and wait for a safer opportunity.
Make that routine a habit, and you’ll spot most bad jerseys long before you pay for them, whether it’s a four-figure gamer or a signed wall piece. That kind of careful, informed approach is exactly how a FlagOh-style collector treats every new addition to their fan space.
How To Protect, Insure, And Display Your Prized NFL Jersey
Owning a pricey jersey is only half the story; keeping it safe and presentable is the other half. With the right environment, insurance, and framing choices, you can let it live on your wall instead of hiding it in a closet, without quietly destroying its value over time.
At-Home Protection and Storage Basics
A valuable jersey lives or dies by its environment. Direct sunlight is the biggest enemy, so keep the piece away from windows and use UV-filter acrylic if you frame it to slow fading on both fabric and signatures.
Stable, mid-range humidity and gentle handling matter just as much: clean hands or cotton gloves, no sharp creases through autographs, and acid-free boards, tissue, and boxes if you’re storing it long term instead of keeping it on the wall.
When You Need Insurance for a High-Value NFL Jersey
If a single jersey represents several thousand dollars of value, basic homeowners or renters coverage may not be enough—many policies quietly cap collectibles at relatively low amounts.
That’s a good moment to ask your insurer about scheduling the jersey as a named item, backed by receipts, clear photos, and, for higher values, an appraisal or recent auction comparable. Doing this turns a vague assumption of coverage into a clear line in your policy about what that piece is actually insured for. Many collectors only discover their limits after a loss; clarifying coverage up front keeps a damaged or stolen jersey from turning into a second painful surprise.
Framing and Display Ideas for an Expensive NFL Jersey
Cheap replicas can get away with a hanger on a nail, but high-end jerseys deserve better. A purpose-built shadow box or jersey frame with UV-filter acrylic and acid-free backing protects the shirt while still letting it dominate the room, and professional framing typically starts in the low hundreds of dollars, depending on size and materials.
When you put together a game room or office, treat the jersey as the anchor, then build around it with team flags, banners, or photos so the whole wall reads as a curated fan space rather than just a single frame floating on its own.
Handled well, a great jersey becomes more than a line on an auction invoice—it turns into the centerpiece of your home fan zone. Protecting it from light and humidity, giving it proper coverage on your insurance policy, and framing it like a museum piece means you can enjoy it every day without worrying what might happen next, especially when you build the rest of the space around it with smart, matching décor from our store and the rest of your favorite fan shops. Nothing in this guide is financial, legal, or insurance advice. Policies, limits, and regulations vary by country and provider, so always confirm details with a qualified professional or your insurer before making big purchases or coverage decisions.
Quick Answers About the Most Expensive NFL Jersey
Big questions tend to come up over and over whenever people talk about the most expensive NFL jersey—who holds the record, whether only game-worn pieces count, how authenticity works, and when a jersey is worth insuring. This quick Q&A pulls those answers into one place so you don’t have to dig through the whole guide to find them.
What’s the highest price ever paid for an NFL jersey at auction?
As of late 2025, the record belongs to Tom Brady’s final-game Tampa Bay jersey, which sold for just under $1.4 million. The full story is in the Brady section above.
Are record-breaking NFL jerseys always game-worn pieces?
At the very top of the market, yes. Record-setting sales almost always involve game-worn jerseys that are photo-matched to a specific high-profile game.
Are signed jerseys or game-worn jerseys usually more expensive?
In most cases, game-worn jerseys tied to key games sit above signed but unworn shirts. A signed retail jersey can still be valuable, but the real premium goes to pieces worn on the field.
How can I tell if an “expensive” NFL jersey is authentic?
Combine a visual check of tags, stitching, and fabric with third-party authentication—COAs, holograms, and serial numbers you can verify online. For a full step-by-step checklist, see the authenticity section above.
When is a jersey valuable enough that I should insure it separately?
A good rule of thumb is simple: if losing it would seriously hurt your finances, talk to your insurer about listing it as a specific item. The details on how to do that are in the insurance section above.
Could a current star’s jersey eventually break all existing price records?
Absolutely. Montana’s and Brady’s records have leapfrogged each other in just a few years, and a modern star with multiple rings, a huge media presence, and a storyline game could break the record again.
Keep a few basics in mind—record prices, game-worn vs signed, real authentication, and when to insure—and you can navigate high-end jerseys with confidence and choose which ones truly deserve a place in your space.
Prices around the most expensive NFL jersey start to make a lot more sense once you see how star power, big-game history, true game use, and solid authentication all stack together. If you learn to read tags and paperwork, avoid red-flag listings, protect fabric from light and humidity, and ensure anything you couldn’t easily replace, even a single jersey, can feel like a museum piece at home. To finish the setup, pairing your framed shirt with smart flags and décor from the FlagOh game-day store turns that wall into your own small hall of fame.