For us NFL fans, few things are more depressing than watching Father Time arrive on your favorite players. Sometimes, it’s a very gradual process. For others, their regression from hero to zero can come in the blink of an eye. These last few seasons have sadly reminded us that NFL players can’t perform at their superstar level forever. With the 2024 offseason upon us, it’s a good time to dive into 10 active NFLers who are no longer superstars — so let’s get right to it.
Which NFL players are no longer considered superstars in today’s game?
Russell Wilson
This isn’t to say that Wilson isn’t starting-caliber anymore. We’re very confident that he can be a solid game manager for the Pittsburgh Steelers, similar to what Wilson was for the Seattle Seahawks during his first three seasons.
But Wilson is no longer a top-five quarterback or MVP candidate, and he is most certainly not close to a top-15 QB, either.
Wilson had a miserable first year with the Denver Broncos in 2022. To his credit, Wilson bounced back under new head coach Sean Payton — but even 26 TD passes and an average of 204.7 passing yards per game is lackluster compared to prime Russ.
It also doesn’t look good on Wilson that career backup Geno Smith played close to Wilson’s star-like level in 2022. So now, it’s not really a stretch to wonder if Wilson’s success stemmed from elite coaching and a star-studded supporting cast in Emerald City.
Fortunately for Wilson, he has a good situation in Pittsburgh: A Hall of Fame head coach in Mike Tomlin, a top-10 defense, and a potent rushing offense. The makeup of this Pittsburgh team is similar to what Wilson had in Seattle to begin his career, so he just has to be a game manager to give the Steelers a chance.
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But a game manager and a superstar are two very different things. Wilson’s numbers over the last three years are far off his career year in 2020. So it’s time to accept he’s now in the class of “average” and no longer elite.
The Broncos accepted it, and the Steelers are surely aware of it.
Von Miller
Miller certainly didn’t look like someone on the wrong side of 30 when he won his second Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 season.
And he was still playing like a first-ballot Hall of Famer in his first season with the Buffalo Bills, which was tragically cut short by a season-ending ACL tear.
But all good things must come to an end, and that includes prime Von Miller. The eight-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl MVP showed his age during an awfully disappointing 2023 season in Buffalo.
The Bills made Miller a healthy scratch late in a 2023 home game against the New England Patriots. He appeared in 12 games but wasn’t a starter for either of them, logging zero sacks, pass defenses, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
Adding to the concern? Pro Football Focus graded Miller at a woeful 45.4 on the 2023 season, meaning he’s performing like a second-string level player.
Father time is undefeated, and it looks like it began to hit Miller in 2023. After JJ Watt and Aaron Donald, he was the best defensive player of his era. But it’s no longer “Miller Time,” folks.
It’s time to accept that Miller’s prime days are over and that the twilight years of his career have arrived.
Jamal Adams
Remember when Adams was one of the best defensive backs in football? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
The No. 6 pick of the 2017 NFL Draft was the franchise face and the superstar of an otherwise hapless New York Jets team for three years. Adams was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Jets, earning first and second-team all-pro nods.
A disgruntled Adams was traded to the Seahawks in 2020 in a blockbuster deal that sent two first-round picks to the Jets. Adams had a superb first year in Seattle, setting the single-season record in sacks by a defensive back with 9.5 en route to Pro Bowl and second-team all-pro nods.
Incredibly, that was it for Adams’ peak — at the ripe old age of 25 no less. He regressed mightily in 2021, recording zero sacks in 12 games while becoming a giant liability in coverage. He missed all but one game in 2022 and was limited to nine games in 2023, recording zero sacks again while garnering a “meh” Pro Football Focus grade of 54.9.
Adams was a superstar for four years. And then he just inexplicably fell off the map in three short years. That prompted Seattle to cut Adams in a cap-saving move, and teams must accept now that the 28-year-old is already well past his playing prime.
How the mighty can fall so quickly…
Brandin Cooks
The speedy Cooks was once a model of consistency. Unlike a box full of chocolates, you knew exactly what you were getting from him.
Cooks posted six seasons of at least 65 catches and over 1,000 receiving yards between 2015 and 2021. He did that on four different teams: the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and Houston Texans.
But unfortunately, it looks like Cooks’ best-before date has already arrived. Injuries and inconsistent production have removed Cooks from that 1K form, and he’s now a steady No. 2 or 3 receiver at this phase of his career.
Cooks, who turns 31 next season, missed four games for Houston in 2022 and still finished with a “meh” stat line of 57 receptions for 699 yards and three touchdowns. Going to the Dallas Cowboys’ high-powered offense was supposed to revive his NFL career and superstar status, but Cooks only had 54 catches for 657 yards — though his total of eight TDs was noteworthy.
He can still be a serviceable weapon at this stage of his career, but superstar Brandin Cooks is long gone. Pure and simple.
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Xavien Howard
It doesn’t feel long ago when Howard was one of the most feared corners in the NFL.
Howard was a four-time Pro Bowler over the 2018 and 2022 seasons in Miami. The longtime Dolphins star earned 2018 second-team and 2020 first-team all-pro honors, leading the league in picks each of those years. That included a ridiculous ten interceptions in the 2020 season alone.
The Dolphins, however, wound up releasing Howard in a cap-saving move this offseason — and for good reason. The man has slowly-but-surely gone from “superstar” to “very good” to “above average” to…”average at best.”
PFF graded Howard at 87.3 in the 2020 season. That number dropped to 70.9 in 2021, 58.4 in 2022 and 55.1 in 2023.
Additionally, Pro Football Reference’s data shows that Howard has given up 11 TDS in coverage since 2021. He allowed a passer rating of 101.2 when targeted and an eye-popping 15.6 yards per reception.
Howard was a lights-out shutdown corner and elite ball-hawker for a few years in South Beach. But Miami was wise to release Howard based on his recent performance, not his household name. He might still be a solid enough starter in today’s NFL, but Howard is no longer a top-five corner—let alone a top-20 superstar.
Dalvin Cook
Cook was once among the NFL’s most prolific offensive players and a superstar in his own right. He exceeded 1,100 yards rushing four straight years from 2019 to 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings, racking up 43 rushing touchdowns in that period.
But with the Vikings facing a cap crunch, they decided to cut Cook in the midst of the 2023 offseason. It was an odd move considering that Cook had just rushed for 1,173 yards and eight scores, but to each their own we suppose?
After weighing his options, Cook signed with Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets, seemingly forming a prolific backfield duo with Breece Hall. But it wasn’t meant to be…
Cook had just 214 rushing yards and no TDs in 15 game appearances. The Jets cut ties with Cook late in the season, and a short stint with the Baltimore Ravens did nothing to revive the four-time Pro Bowler.
So it looks like prime Dalvin Cook is in the past now. He isn’t the only notable running back to decline before his 30th birthday, but it’s definitely hard to comprehend how he went from a consistent 1K rusher to hardly usable as a No. 2 back.
Cook has clearly lost some of that explosiveness that made him such a weapon in Minnesota. As he enters his age-29 season, it’s evident that he’s best used as a No. 3 running back now.
Well, we’ll always have 2019 to 2022 prime Dalvin Cook.
Zach Ertz
It looked like Ertz was past his prime in back 2020 when he set career lows for a helpless Philadelphia Eagles team.
But a trade to the Arizona Cardinals in the midst of the 2021 season seemingly brought back prime Zach Ertz. In 11 games, he racked up 56 catches for 574 yards and three touchdowns — leading the Redbirds to their first playoff appearance in six years.
Turns out, that was just a mirage and not a career revival for Ertz. The three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl 52 hero was limited to 17 total games over the 2022 and ‘23 seasons, compiling 74 catches for 593 yards and five touchdowns.
Ertz signed with the Washington Commanders in 2024 free agency, but there’s a reason he only got $1.96 million in guarantees. The Commanders know Ertz’s days of consistently putting up 70-plus caches and threatening for 1K yards are long gone.
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David Bakhtiari
Bakhtiari was on a Hall of Fame trajectory until injuries tragically began to pile up on Aaron Rodgers’ longtime blindside protector in Green Bay.
Look at Bakhtiari’s resume from 2016 to 2020: Three Pro Bowls, two first-team all-pro nods, and three second-team all-pro selections. The Packers went to three NFC Championship games in that span, though Bakhtiari had to miss their 2020 playoff run after suffering a torn ACL late in the year.
Bakhtiari only appeared in one game for both the 2021 and 2023 seasons, and he was limited to 11 contests in 2022. With Bakhtiari unable to stay healthy, the Packers cut the longtime mainstay this offseason in a cap-saving move.
Bakhtiari has only played in 25 games since the 2020 season. He’s about to enter his age-33 NFL season, so of course, he’s nothing close to All-Pro, Pro Bowl, or superstar form anymore.
He can be a serviceable rotational piece player on any team’s offensive line. But his days as a top-three offensive tackle in the game have ended in a rather somber fashion.
Tre’Davious White
The Buffalo Bills struck gold when they selected White with the No. 27 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He emerged as a cornerstone on defense and played a major role in their rise to AFC heavyweight alongside Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde.
White earned Pro Bowl nods in 2019 and 2020, along with first and second-team all-pro selections. He was once in the conversation for the NFL’s best cornerback.
But like David Bakhtiari, injuries quickly derailed White’s career that was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He’s been limited to just 21 games over the last three years, and the Bills ultimately decided to cut him this offseason in a cash-dumping move of their own.
Plus, White’s PFF grade has been no higher than 68.0 since 2021 — so he wasn’t even playing like an All-Pro before the injuries began to pile up.
The Los Angeles Rams gave White a one-year deal following his release from the Bills. Maybe he’ll stay healthy and help improve the secondary, but the man is clearly well past his short-lived days as an NFL superstar.
Michael Thomas
The last three guys on our list looked like surefire Hall of Famers just a few short years ago. Thomas, White, and Bakhtiari were all once in the conversation as the NFL’s best players at their respective positions.
All three of them have been hit hard by the injury bug since the turn of the decade. And all three were released in the 2024 offseason. It just sucks considering how ultra-dominant they all were when healthy.
In each of his first four NFL seasons, Thomas hit the 90-catch mark and exceeded 1,100 yards. He led the league in receptions with 125 and 149 — a single-season record — in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Tragically, the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year hasn’t been the same since suffering an unfortunate ankle injury in garbage time of the Saints’ Week 1, 2020 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas should NOT have been in at that point.
Fast-forward to 2024. The former NFL superstar has played in 20 TOTAL games since 2020. He missed the entire 2021 season with an ankle injury and all but three games in 2022.
After giving “Can’t Guard Mike” one last shot at staying healthy in 2023, Thomas missed seven games and tallied only 39 catches for 448 yards and one touchdown. New Orleans saw enough at that point and released Thomas after the 2023 season.
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