Every once in a while, a quarterback decides it’s time to dust off the cleats and make a glorious return to the gridiron. The problem is, sometimes that big comeback turns out to be more of a crash landing.
Whether it was age, rust, or just plain bad timing, these 15 quarterbacks tried to reignite the magic… and missed the spark entirely. Let’s take a look at the comebacks that made us say, “Maybe they should’ve stayed retired.”
15. Carson Palmer
Palmer’s post-Cincinnati reboot took a detour in Oakland that looked more like a career funeral. He eventually found success in Arizona, but those Raiders years were rough.
14. Jake Delhomme
Delhomme came back with the Texans after some time away and looked like a guy who’d been coaching high school football, not prepping for the NFL. It was a short stint, and that was probably for the best.
13. Tim Tebow
The baseball detour was weird enough, but Tebow trying to return as a tight end with the Jaguars? That comeback ended before it even started.
12. Chris Chandler
After some surprisingly solid seasons, Chandler popped up late in his career with the Bears, looking more confused than confident. That comeback did nothing but pad the sack totals for opposing defenses.
11. Vince Young
Young kept trying to resurface with different teams—Eagles, Packers, Browns—you name it. None of those gigs lasted long, and he never came close to recapturing his early Titans magic.
10. Josh Freeman
Freeman had a brief moment with Tampa Bay before it all unraveled, and his later comeback attempt in Minnesota was just… odd. He looked lost in the playbook and never got another real shot.
9. Marc Bulger
Bulger gave it one last go with the Ravens as a backup, but he never saw the field. His comeback was less “Hollywood ending” and more “extra who didn’t get called to set.”
8. Johnny Manziel
Johnny Football talked the talk but couldn’t walk the walk on his NFL return attempts. CFL, The Spring League, and XFL stints all fizzled out, and the NFL never looked back.
7. Daunte Culpepper
After injuries derailed his peak, Culpepper tried to reboot things in Detroit—and wow, that did not go well. The Lions didn’t win, he didn’t thrive, and it all felt like a sad sequel no one asked for.
6. Jay Cutler
Cutler retired to do TV, then unretired to play for the Dolphins, and it looked like he left his competitive spirit in the studio. That comeback was as uninspired as it was brief.
5. Matt Leinart
Leinart got a second chance backing up Matt Schaub in Houston and even had a brief start… before breaking his collarbone and disappearing from relevance again. Just not meant to be.
4. Michael Vick (Late Comeback)
Vick’s first comeback with the Eagles was legendary, but his later attempt with the Steelers and Jets was a whole different story. He looked worn out and uninterested, which made the decline even harder to watch.
3. Trent Green
Green’s return with the Rams after concussion issues was admirable, but not wise. He didn’t look like the same guy and was eventually benched, putting a soft close on what was once a solid career.
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2. Colin Kaepernick
Every workout and rumor felt like it could lead to a fairytale comeback, but it just never happened. Whether by politics, performance, or PR, the return fizzled without a snap played.
Read More: 15 NFL Quarterbacks Who Proved Scouts Don’t Always Know Best
1. Brett Favre (Second Comeback)
Favre’s first comeback with the Vikings nearly got him to a Super Bowl, but when he ran it back the next season… yikes. That last year was full of injuries, drama, and interceptions—not quite the storybook ending.
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