In 1972 Joe Namath led the league in passing yards and in touchdown passes. Topps's next set, 528 cards printed all at once, the largest football set to that date, gave him #400.
It was the last time he appeared in a Topps base set. He played four more seasons, the last of them with the Los Angeles Rams in 1977, but Topps never made another.
He played four more seasons. Topps never made another base card of him.
The 1973 design frames the photograph with a heavy black line and runs a two-color ribbon down the left side, with the name at the top and the position and team below. Here the ribbon is blue and orange, JOE NAMATH is printed in blue and black above the picture, and QUARTERBACK, JETS sits at the foot. The photograph is a sideline close-up: Namath in a green jacket and a dark knit cap pulled low, the cap's white band just above his eyes.
The 1973 season was a hard one. He separated his shoulder in the second week, against Baltimore, and missed seven weeks. His knees had been operated on repeatedly by then.
He retired after the 1977 season and went into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
