Image via Complex Original
The NFL is a "what have you done for me lately?" league. Whomever might be at the top right now, might not be on the same position by next season. A couple years after that, they could be out of a job altogether. There are numerous reasons for this. Injuries, drugs, off the field incidents, and bad luck have ended some NFL careers pretty quickly. Albert Haynesworth was on top of the world when he signed a $100 million-plus contract with the Redskins, but he ended up out of the league three seasons later. Terrell Owens went from being one of the top wideouts in the league in the mid 2000s to unsuccessfully begging for a job just a few years later. It's a sad life, but we can always remember these athletes for when they were the best at what they did. From Shaun Alexander to Shawne Merriman, here are The Biggest Fall-Offs in NFL History.
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Terrell Davis
Career years: 1995-2002
Team(s): Denver Broncos
Career stats: 7,607 rushing yards, 4.6 YPC, 169 receptions, 1,280 receiving yards, 65 total TDs
Accolades: NFL MVP (1998), 2x Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII), 2x AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1996, 1998), 3x Pro Bowler (1996-1998), 1998 Super Bowl MVP
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
Injuries really can change the entire view of a career. Terrell Davis amassed huge numbers in a three-year stretch from 1996-1998. He ran for 49 touchdowns in those three seasons. He also amassed a slew of awards including the 1998 regular season and Super Bowl MVPs. Numerous knee and leg Injuries eventually sapped Davis of many of his abilities. He only played 17 of a possible 48 regular season games. Davis would unfortunately retire after only seven seasons in the NFL. Why couldn't platelet-rich plasma therapy a.k.a. the Kobe treatment be available just a decade earlier?!
Thomas Jones
Career years: 2000-2011
Team(s): Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Kansa City Chiefs
Career stats: 10,591 rushing yards, 4.0 YPC, 308 receptions, 2,023 receiving yards, 71 total TDs
Accolades: 1x Pro Bowler (2008)
Reason for fall-off: Decline in production and age
Thomas Jones built a very strong NFL career over the decade taht he played. He developed the reputation as a hard-working and dependable running back. From '05-'09 he rushed for 6,378 yards and 48 touchdowns. He was consistent and really helped teams that he played for including the Jets where he was a Pro Bowler and rushed for 27 touchdowns in two years. After signing with the Arizona Cardinals, Jones only rushed for six touchdowns in two full seasons and left the league right after. We still say one of his biggest accomplishments was bagging Meagan Good for a short period.
Alge Crumpler
Career years: 2001-2010
Team(s): Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots
Career stats: 373 receptions, 4,743 receiving yards, 39 receiving TDs
Accolades: 4x Pro Bowler (2003-2006)
Reason for fall-off: Decline in production, overweight
Tight ends usually are an example of consistency in the NFL. They're solid blockers, but also usually decent making catches and playing as a safety valve for the quarterback. Alge Crumpler was just that for Michael Vick in Atlanta. Crumpler made four Pro Bowls in a row all while amassing 22 receiving touchdowns. After being released by Atlanta in 2007, he failed to live up to his previous numbers, posting just four touchdowns in his last three seasons. Maybe putting Mike Vick's number and name on his eye black was more bad luck than anything.
Bubba Smith
Career years: 1967-1976
Team(s): Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers
Career stats: *Tackles and sacks not an official stat, 4 Fumble Recoveries
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler (1970-1971)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
Bubba Smith seemed on his way to a Hall of Fame career. He had made a couple Pro Bowls and also won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts. Smith's career would take a turn for the worst when he ripped up his knee in a preseason game on a freak accident involving a yard marker pole. After a few average seasons, Smith decided to move onto an acting career after his NFL career ended.
Jamal Anderson
Career years: 1994-2001
Team(s): Atlanta Falcons
Career stats: 5,336 rushing yards, 4.0 YPC, 156 receptions, 1,645 receiving yards, 41 total TDs
Accolades: 1x Pro Bowler (1998)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
Jamal Anderson built a really strong career that culminated with his trip to Super Bowl XXXIII 1998 season with the Atlanta Falcons. Anderson ran for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns while helping the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance as well as establishing "The Dirty Bird." The Pro Bowler dealt with a torn ACL in 1999 and still manage to have a solid 1,000-plus yard rushing season in 2000. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL again in 2001 which effectively ended his career. Anderson would never play another game in the NFL.
Sidney Rice
Career years: 2007-Present
Team(s): Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks
Career stats: 237 receptions, 3,499 receiving yards, 29 receiving TDs
Accolades: 1x Pro Bowler (2009)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
Sidney Rice seemed to be on the path to stardom when he played with the Vikings. In his third season, Rice developed great chemistry with Brett Favre after receiving for 1,317 yards and scoring eight touchdowns during the 2009 season. Those stats helped Minny get to the NFC Championship game. After that, Rice had hip surgery and did not return until late in the 2010 season. He would go on to the Seahawks, where he has been solid, but has failed to live up to his contract and the previous success he had in Minnesota.
Deuce McAllister
Career years: 2001-2009
Team(s): New Orleans Saints
Career stats: 6,096 rushing yards, 4.3 YPC, 49 TDs
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler (2002-2003)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
During the 2000s, Deuce McAllister was easily one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL. McAllister made two consecutive Pro Bowls and compiled 30 touchdowns in three seasons. Deuce's career started to fall apart in '05 when he tore his right ACL in '05. After recovering, the former Pro Bowler tore his left ACL in '07. He came back but was not the same player. He was released, but returned as an honorary captain to help give the Saints some inspiration when they won Super Bowl XLIV. Deuce still got his ring, but it was sad to see his career end so short and quick.
Carson Palmer
Career years: 2003-Present
Team(s): Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals
Career stats: 30,475 passing yards, 193 touchdowns, 85.6 quarterback rating
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler (2005-2006)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries, Bad attitude
Carson Palmer teamed up with Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh to lead a high-powered Bengals offense. The Bengals won two division titles with Palmer at the helm. He threw for 60 touchdowns total in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. But then injuries started to take their toll. Palmer had a partially torn ligament and tendon during the 2008 season and while he has been solid, he hasn't been able to recreate the magic during his run with the Bengals earlier in his career.
Timmy Smith
Career years: 1987-1988, 1991
Team(s): Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys
Career stats: 602 rushing yards, 3.2 YPC, 3 rushing TDs
Accolades: Super Bowl Champion (XXII), Super Bowl record 204 rushing yards in one game
Reason for fall-off: Drugs
Timmy Smith shined on one of the brighest stages in sports. During Super Bowl XXII, Smith rushed for 204 yards and had two touchdowns in the Washington Redskins victory. The performance seemed to get to Smith's head as he entered the next season out of shape and demanding a new contract. His life then spiraled out of control due to drugs and a bad attitude.
Smith was left unprotected as a plan B free agent and tried to catch on with with the San Diego Chargers but rumors swirled of drug issues. After a training camp appearance with Dallas, Smith never returned again to the NFL. After his career ended he would get arrested in 2005 for attempting to sell cocaine to an undercover officer and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. This is what you call the one-hit wonder.
Nnamdi Asomugha
Career years: 2003-Present
Team(s): Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers
Career stats: 355 tackles, 15 interceptions
Accolades: 3x Pro Bowler (2008-2010)
Reason for fall-off: Big Free Agent contract
Nnamdi Asomugha established himself as a shutdown corner in the NFL during his time with the Oakland Raiders. Asomugha developed into an automatic Pro Bowler for three consecutive years from 2008-2010. In that three-year stretch, the standout cornerback was thrown at just 98 times averaging out to just over two times a game. After eight seasons in Oakland, Asomugha signed a big five-year, $60 million deal with the Eagles.
He was average, but not great which caused problems in the Eagles secondary. Philadelphia struggled the first two years of their deal with Asomugha and cut him this past offseason. He's now with the 49ers, but his reputation as an elite shutdown cornerback has been nearly erased after just two seasons.
Keith Millard
Career Years: 1985-1993
Team(s): Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles
Career stats: 58 sacks
Accolades: 1989 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 2x Pro Bowler (1988-1989), NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
Keith Millard was dominant for a brief stretch when he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and made two Pro Bowls in two consecutive years. Millard suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss a large portion of the '90 NFL season and failed to ever return to his previous Pro Bowl form. It's definitely one of the underrated "what ifs" in NFL history considering Millard had 18 sacks in the 1989 season which is a record for a defensive tackle.
Vince Young
Career Years: 2006-2011
Team(s): Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles
Career stats: 8,964 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, 74.4 quarterback rating
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler (2006, 2009)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
Success doesn't always mean a long career in the NFL. Vince Young seemed like he was headed in the right direction when he made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season, but his career stalled due to some inconsistency. He came back in '09 and made another Pro Bowl team. Issues with Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher really affected his career. During the 2010 season, Young had an altercation with Fisher after a Week 11 loss and was eventually released.
Young moved on to the Eagles where he was a backup to Mike Vick, but after two brief stops with Buffalo and Green Bay he hasn't been able to maintain a roster spot in the NFL. At least he still has the 99-yard game-winning drive to remember.
LaDainian Tomlinson
Career years: 2001-2011
Team(s): San Diego Chargers, New York Jets
Career stats: 13,684 rushing yards, 4.3 YPC, 624 receptions, 4,772 receiving yards, 162 total TDs
Accolades: 2006 NFL MVP, 2x NFL Rushing Title (2006-2007), NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2006), 5x Pro Bowler (2002, 2004-2007)
Reason for fall-off: Decline in production
Most players would wish to have the stretch that LaDainian Tomlinson had with the San Diego Chargers from 2002-2007. LT established himself as a force to be reckoned with in San Diego. He won the MVP in '06 and led the league in rushing two seasons in a row. By '08, Tomlinson started to decline and while still was solid he was nowhere near the elite player he had been for most of his career. In his last four seasons with the Jets and Chargers he had 30 touchdowns compared to 78 touchdowns the four seasons prior ('04-'07).
Larry Johnson
Career Years: 2003-2011
Team(s): Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins
Career stats: 6,223 rushing yards, 4.4 YPC, 154 receptions, 1,373 receiving yards, 61 total TDs
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler (2005-2006)
Reason for fall-off: Decline in production, bad attitude
A bad demeanor can erase all good things. In '05 and '06 Johnson led the AFC in rushing yards and had 37 combined touchdowns. Johnson would eventually deal with some injuries and then ran into some issues with Chiefs fans and management. Johnson was suspended in '08 when he violated team rules and started acting up. He was later suspended by the NFL for being charged with simple assault for spitting a drink in a woman's face. The problems would not stop as the next season, Johnson would get into hot water for some controversial tweets about his coach Todd Haley.
By the end of it, the two-time Pro Bowler was released after all of the negative press and he developed the reputation of being a malcontent. Johnson would later sign on with the Bengals, Washington Redskins, and Miami Dolphins, but failed to reproduce the quality play that made him a star.
Shawne Merriman
Career years: 2005-2012
Team(s): San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills
Career stats: 196 tackles, 45.5 sacks
Accolades: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2005), 3x Pro Bowler (2005-2007), NFL Sacks Leader (2006)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries
Referred to as "Lights Out," Shawne Merriman was dominant for a stretch. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year and then in his second season he had 17 sacks. After another solid third year, Merriman underwent reconstructive knee surgery in 2008. He only had four sacks in three years before the Chargers waived him. The Bills claimed Merriman, but he just wasn't the same player. The former Defensive Player of the Year was waived by the Bills in 2012 and he has yet to make a comeback.
Chad Johnson
Career years: 2001-2011
Team(s): Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots
Career stats: 766 receptions, 11,059 receiving yards, 67 receiving TDs
Accolades: 6x Pro Bowler (2003-2007, 2009) NFL Receiving Yards Leader (2006)
Reason for fall-off: Being a knucklehead, Arrest in 2012
Chad Johnson built a great career but negative reputation at the same time. Johnson made six Pro Bowls and had six 1,000-plus yard seasons during his career. Antics like his touchdown celebrations, and his shit-talking gave front offices headaches. Johnson's career started to decline when he moved to the Patriots. He struggled in their system catching only one touchdown pass in 15 games, and after moving to the Miami Dolphins he was cut after a headbutting incident with his then-wife Evelyn Lozada. Johnson hasn't officially retired, but is covering the NFL as a fantasy analyst for CBS. *cues the soundtrack*
Terrell Owens
Career years: 1996-2010
Team(s): San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals
Career stats: 1,078 Rec, 15,934 Yds, 153 TDs
Accolades: 6x Pro Bowls, 5x All-Pro, 2nd all-time in receiving yards, 5th all-time in touchdowns
Reason for fall-off: Attitude
T.O. perfected the wide receiver/diva stereotype. His attitude decimated teams to the point of the no return. He threw quarterbacks under the bus (except Tony Romo), and argued with reporters after wins and losses. For the majority of his career, T.O. cared only for himself. However, he's still one of the greatest receivers ever. To do what he did while also causing so many problems is pretty amazing. Unfortantely, his attitude and supreme confidence eventually became his downfall. After a decent season with the Bengals in 2010, Owens has yet to play again.
Chris Johnson
Career years: 2008-Present
Team(s): Tennessee Titans
Career stats: 7,165 rushing yards, 4.6 YPC, 234 receptions, 1,670 receiving yards, 48 total TDs
Accolades: Offensive Player of the Year (2009), NFL Rushing Title (2009), 3x Pro Bowler (2008-2010)
Reason for fall-off: Decline in production
Chris Johnson came into the NFL in 2008 and set the league on fire as soon as he entered. Johnson ran for 1,228 yards his rookie season, but his sophomore season was just out of this world. Johnson set an NFL record with 2,509 yards from scrimmage and won the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year award. However, since he signed a new contract he's been a middle of the pack running back.
Johnson's been in a considerable decline over the past few years, rushing for over 1,000 yards each season but running for less touchdowns and less yards per carry. To make things worse, he forced the Titans to re-negotiate his contract and became the highest-paid running back, at four years and $53.5 million, including $30 million guaranteed. Maybe CJ2K's been spending too much time in the studio.
Shaun Alexander
Career years: 2000-2008
Team(s): Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins
Career stats: 9,453 rushing yards, 4.3 YPC, 215 receptions, 1,520 receiving yards, 112 total TDs
Accolades: NFL MVP (2005), NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2005), 3x Pro Bowler (2003-2005)
Reason for fall-off: Injuries and lack of support from his O-Line
Back in 2005 Shaun Alexander was on the top of the NFL world. He led the league in rushing and won the regular season MVP in the same season (2005). The Seahawks were successful as well that season making a Super Bowl appearance before bowing out to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alexander re-upped with the Seattle Seahawks for an eight-year, $62 million deal with the Seahawks.
One problem in Alexander's downfall was the departure of Pro Bowl offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson. Also, injuries started to play a role in the running back's decline. He broke his left foot in '06 and fractured his wrist in the '07 season. After Hutchinson left and Alexander dealt with injuries, his production declined drastically to the point that he had less rushing yards in his three final seasons ('06-'08) than his MVP season in '05.
Albert Haynesworth
Career Years: 2002-2011
Team(s): Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career Stats: 265 tackles, 30.5 sacks
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler (2007-2008)
Reason For Fall-off: Out of shape, signed big contract
Defensive Lineman are important to the NFL. Especially ones with the size and talent of Albert Haynesworth back 2008. Haynesworth's size and rushing ability allowed him to clog up running lanes helping the Titans shut down the run game throughout his tenure. When Free Agency hit, the big man signed a seven-year, $100 million deal with the Washington Redskins.The problems started for the Redskins when he failed to show up to camp in shape and failed his conditioning test.
Haynesworth was also frustrated with the Redskins' 3-4 defensive scheme and complained about it openly. The defensive tackle played in just eight games in 2010 and had just 2.5 sacks that season. The Redskins traded Haynesworth to the Patriots in 2011, but he was released just four months after. He played one season with the Buccaneers before flaming out of the league. One of the worst contracts in NFL history? Ja said it best.