Careers in almost every sport can end early for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s due to injury. Other times, it may be a personal decision or the player doesn’t have the same passion they once had for the game and decide to call it quits. In the NFL, this is especially true.
In fact, a 2008 study showed that, on average, NFL careers are around just three and a half years long, while the average age for players in the league is just under 27 years old. That’s not a very long time.
However, there are times when an NFL player who is poised for a very long and successful career has their time in the league cut short.
When this happens out of nowhere, when the player is still at his peak with no signs of slowing down, everyone — fans and peers alike — is shocked. Unlike a regular job, where someone can be hurt and hire a work injury attorney to recover losses, injuries are a part of the job in sports.
An unexpected accident or injury can change your life. If you need a personal adviser, a work injury attorney Paterson NJ can assist you with getting compensated for pain and suffering, medical expenses.
In this list, we name a number of players who may have had lengthy NFL careers but were unable to retire on their own terms due to a variety of factors. Or, players who had enough of the league for one reason or another.
Jake Plummer
Jake Plummer was a quarterback in the NFL from 1997 to 2007, during which he recorded 161 passing touchdowns and nearly 30,000 passing yards during stints with the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos.
Despite putting up numbers, Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan would bench Plummer and promote rookie Jay Cutler to the starter. As Cutler took over as the first option with the Broncos, the team began to look for a suitable trade for Plummer.
At 32 years old, Plummer was sent to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007, where he had no desire to play or compete for the starting role against four other quarterbacks. Instead of this, Plummer elected to announce his retirement.
While the Bucs attempted to persuade him to reconsider, Plummer stuck by his decision.
It was a personal decision for Plummer, which is the case for a number of NFL players who left the league when they could’ve played for several more years.
Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman walked away from his career in the NFL as a three-time Super Bowl champion over 12 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys. While this would be considered a reasonably complete career, Aikman suffered some severe injuries during the latter portion of his NFL career.
The Dallas Cowboys legend suffered numerous concussions, with his 10th coming during the 2000 season after suffering a hit by linebacker LaVar Arrington. He would retire the following year, which many believed to be due to his issue with concussions.
However, years later, Aikman admitted that he chose to retire after enduring persistent back issues during his final season, not the multiple concussions he suffered.
Barry Sanders
Arguably one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, Barry Sanders was a superstar for the Detroit Lions during the 1990s, a team he spent his entire career with.
Rushing for over 1,000 yards in every season of his career and over 2,000 in the season before his final campaign, Sanders was a legendary player. Unfortunately, the rest of the Lions were not. Sanders did all he could to help the Lions win.
Unfortunately, despite recording stellar numbers, he suffered losing season after losing season during his ten-year career.
Because of this, his will to compete gradually diminished until he chose to retire from the sport he loved.
Sadly, Sanders was just one season away from surpassing Walter Payton’s all-time running totals. And ironically, he was still playing at a very high level and was healthy when he made the decision.
Sanders retired with 15,269 rushing yards and 2,921 more yards for receiving, alongside 109 total touchdowns. If he would’ve played on a successful team, it’s likely he would’ve had much larger numbers and played several more years.
Today, he is ranked 4th all-time in rushing yards behind Frank Gore, Walter Payton, and Emmitt Smith.
Aaron Schobel
Buffalo Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel was an anchor for the team’s defense during his stint from 2001 to 2009, recording 78 sacks, second to only Bruce Smith as most in team history.
According to reports, he signed a huge seven-year contract extension with the Bills in 2007, which would have paid him $50 million.
However, was struggling with personal issues, one being that he lived in Texas and was sad he missed significant time with his wife and kids. The second problem was that the Bills were consistently losing, despite his exceptional play.
Though the team picked up the tab to fly him back to Texas on particular occasions throughout the season to reunite with his family, it just wasn’t enough for him.
Ultimately, Schobel desired to play in Texas, but the Bills would not trade or release him to do so. By 2010, he was unsure about returning to the team, who would eventually release him and he never signed with another NFL team and would retire.
Schobel would attempt to try out for the Houston Texas but was never offered a contract.
The defensive end was overlooked by the rest of the league, as he played for the Bills. This was shocking, due to the fact he recorded 10 sacks or more in three of his four seasons and even made the Pro Bowl twice.
Joe Theismann
At 72, NFL legend Joe Theismann remains in excellent physical condition. Some people are even astonished when they learn his age, which isn’t surprising since he’s always taken excellent care of himself.
He played for 12 years in the NFL, from 1974 to 1985, and three years prior in the CFL.
It’s unclear how many more years Theismann could have played in the league if he hadn’t been blindsided by New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor with a vicious hit during his final game in 1985.
The hit left him with a compound leg fracture and due to the recovery time, he opted to retire when he was 36 years old.
Theismann may have played for another three or even five years because of how well he cared for his body and health. It’s unfortunate, he was unable to walk away from the game on his own terms.
Theismann won the Super Bowl in 1983, the same year he won MVP honors and Offensive Player of the Year.