The NFL is brutal. One minute you’re the next big thing, and the next you’re out of the league or buried on a depth chart behind someone you’ve never heard of.
Whether it was injuries, off-field issues, or just burning too bright too fast, these players had their moment—but it came way too early. Here are 10 NFL stars who looked like the future, then faded before they ever got a real second act.
10. Robert Griffin III
RG3 was electric in his rookie season and looked like the future of the league in Washington. Then injuries and a rushed return killed the momentum, and he was never the same.
9. David Wilson
Wilson had one of the most explosive skill sets in the league and was set to be the Giants’ next big thing. A neck injury ended his career after just two seasons, leaving fans wondering what could’ve been.
8. Blake Bortles
For one glorious season, Bortles looked like a franchise QB and even got the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game. Then the magic vanished, and so did his starting job.
7. Justin Blackmon
Blackmon had all the makings of a dominant wideout and started strong. But off-the-field issues and repeated suspensions cut his career tragically short.
6. Josh Gordon
Few players ever looked as unstoppable as Gordon did in 2013. But his battles with substance abuse and league suspensions kept derailing what should’ve been a Hall of Fame career.
5. Trent Richardson
The Browns took him third overall, and he started out looking like a workhorse. But after his rookie season, his production fell off a cliff—and fast.
4. Johnny Manziel
Manziel brought Heisman hype and a whole lot of swagger to Cleveland. Unfortunately, his NFL career was more tabloid than touchdown.
3. Daunte Culpepper
With Randy Moss at his side, Culpepper was putting up MVP-level numbers. But a knee injury in 2005 wrecked his mobility, and his career never recovered.
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2. Michael Clayton
Clayton had a monster rookie year in Tampa Bay and looked like a future WR1. Then he just… stopped catching passes at the same rate and never got back to that level.
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1. Todd Gurley
Gurley was the engine of the Rams’ offense and an MVP candidate at his peak. But chronic knee issues derailed his career so quickly that it still feels surreal how fast it ended.
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