Playing in the NFL is no easy feat. You must go through nonstop training and study film on your opponents and previous NFL stars to find the right footing to play in the league. However, not every player makes it to a Hall of Fame career. Sometimes, it’s the fierce competition or an injury halting a promising career. Sometimes, a career change sets a former NFL player on the road to success.
Here are 10 former NFL busts who found a better career path:
Brian Bosworth
Bosworth was a star linebacker during his collegiate years at the University of Oklahoma. He helped the Sooners win the 1986 Orange Bowl National Championship game against Penn State University, was a two-time unanimous All-American, and a two-time Butkus Award winner. Bosworth was drafted in the Supplemental draft in 1987 by the Seattle Seahawks, hoping he would bring his strong defensive force to the team. Instead, Bosworth was better known for his outspoken personality than his play.
Unfortunately, Bosworth’s NFL career was cut short after suffering a shoulder injury in 1988. After his football career ended, Bosworth found success as an actor and a broadcaster. Bosworth has starred in movies, TV shows, and commercials: most notably, Bosworth was in The Longest Yard (2005), Stone Cold (1991), had a cameo in the movie Three Kings (1999), and currently stars as the Sheriff in the Dr. Pepper Fansville commercials. That’s a very good career change, indeed.
Heath Shuler
Shuler was a superstar during his college days at the University of Tennessee, as he led the Volunteers to three straight bowl game appearances in the 1990s. Shuler was drafted by Washington in 1994, hoping he would turn their slide into bad luck around, just a couple of seasons after winning Super Bowl 26 in 1991. Unfortunately, Shuler did next to nothing in the NFL as he threw more interceptions than touchdowns during his five years in the league. After Shuler retired, he went on to have a real estate career in Tennessee until he moved back to his home state of North Carolina in 2003.
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Shuler then announced his intentions to run for the United States House of Representatives in the 2006 Midterm Elections. Shuler served in the 11th district of North Carolina from 2007 until he announced he wouldn’t run for re-election in 2012. Shuler became a lobbyist for Duke Energy in 2013, has become a public speaker, and had a hilarious cameo in a Dish Network commercial that aired in 2014. Talk about an incredible career change.
David Carr
Carr was the first overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft by then newcomers, the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, the Texans never gave Carr the help he needed to become a franchise quarterback. Carr also threw more interceptions than touchdowns during his 11-year NFL career. After Carr retired from football after the 2012 season, he became an analyst for the NFL Network, as well as an assistant coach for Bakersfield Christian High School, where his younger brother, Darren Carr, is the head coach.
Bakersfield Christian High School won their first state championship in 2019 against Rancho Cotate 42-21. Learning football from a man who played in the NFL must be fantastic. Mentoring the next generation of athletes is a great way to give back.
Andre Ware
During his collegiate years, Ware was a superstar at the University of Houston, where he became the first black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy in 1989. Because of his success at college, the Detroit Lions drafted Ware seventh overall in the 1990 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Ware flopped in the “Motor City”, as his coaches preferred Rodney Peete and Eric Kramer at times.
Ware bounced around the CFL for three seasons and helped the Toronto Argonauts win the 85th Grey Cup 47-23 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a backup to Doug Flutie. After Ware’s football career ended, Ware became an analyst for ESPN’s college football coverage.
Tony Mandarich
Mandarich is a former offensive tackle from Michigan State University who was touted as the best offensive line prospect in the country as he entered the 1989 NFL Draft. The Packers scooped Mandarich up with the second pick of that draft, thinking he would be the turning point in their dark times. However, Mandarich never lived up to expectations as he had attitude issues and a steroid problem. He admitted to the steroids in 2008.
The Packers cut Mandarich in 1992, where he had spent a few years in Traverse City, MI. After a failed comeback with the Indianapolis Colts, he retired from football in 1998 due to a shoulder injury. Mandarich currently runs a studio of Tony Mandarich Creatives after picking up nature photography as a hobby in 1990.
Tim Couch
Couch was the first overall pick, for the then-newly-resurrected Cleveland Browns, in the 1999 NFL Draft. The Browns thought Couch would be the guy to help the Browns return to glory. It didn’t happen, as Couch played very inconsistently and suffered a lot of injuries. Couch did lead the Browns to the playoffs once in 2002, before the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated them 33-36. Couch never played a down of football after the 2003 season.
Couch returned to his home state of Kentucky, where he got married, had two sons, became a broadcaster for Fox Sports South for five years, and is a part of a wealth management company with his brother based in Lexington, KY. Not bad for a guy whose career was short-lived in the NFL.
Mike Williams (former Wide Reciever)
Williams was a star wide receiver for the University of Southern California during his two seasons as a Trojan, where he helped the team win the BCS National Championship in 2004. Williams was drafted by the Detroit Lions 10th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, hoping he would help the team in the receiver depth. Williams never met expectations, as he bounced around the league with four different teams. Williams ended his career with 127 receptions for 1,526 yards and scored five touchdowns. Williams became a coach after retiring from playing football, where he coached football and basketball.
Williams was named the head coach of three different high schools in California until he accepted the head coach job at Wharton High School in Tampa, FL. He helped Wharton become an 8A powerhouse until he took the head coaching job at T.R. Robinson High School. Williams helped the Robinson Knights win their division in 2023. That is very impressive for the former USC Trojan superstar.
Rich Campbell
Campbell had a decent career at the University of California until the Green Bay Packers called his name in the 1981 NFL Draft, hoping he would help the team turn things around. Instead, the Packers coaching staff didn’t trust Campbell, as he threw three touchdowns against nine interceptions.
After Campbell hung up his cleats, he became a columnist for a newspaper called the Treasure Coast Newspaper based in Florida. Campbell has written stories about politics, sports, and life in the Sunshine State. Campbell may not have been the greatest quarterback, but he successfully turned the page with a newspaper career.
Steve Spurrier
Spurrier was a star quarterback at the University of Florida. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 and led the Gators to a 27-12 victory in the Orange Bowl against Georgia Tech. The quarterback-needy San Francisco 49ers drafted Spurrier with the third pick of the 1967 NFL Draft. Spurrier didn’t succeed as a signal caller in the NFL, as he threw 40 touchdowns against 60 interceptions and had a 13-24-1 record during his 10-year career as a 49er and his lone season as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Spurrier found much better success as a head coach, leading the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL to three straight winning seasons.
Duke University hired Spurrier to be their head football coach in 1987. Spurrier led the Blue Devils to an All-American Bowl appearance before losing to Texas Tech 49-21. After that, Spurrier was hired by his alma mater, the University of Florida, to coach the Gators.
Spurrier led the Gators to 11 bowl games and won the 1996 National Championship game in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State 52-20. Spurrier did have a brief NFL coaching stint with Washington from 2002-03 but resigned after two disappointing seasons. In 2005, Spurrier was hired to be the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. He led the Gamecocks to nine bowl games and won five of those. Spurrier finished his coaching career with one season in AAF, coaching the Orlando Apollos before the league went defunct. Very impressive for a former Heisman Trophy winner turned NFL bust.
Jake Locker
Locker was a decent quarterback at the University of Washington, who helped the team win the 2010 Holiday Bowl 19-7 against the University of Nebraska. After declaring for the NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans called his name eighth overall in the 2011 Draft, hoping he would fix the team and become their next superstar quarterback.
Instead, Locker had a very short and rocky NFL career, as he was a backup and dealt with injuries throughout his four seasons in the league. Locker retired from football after 2014 and has since then co-founded a fitness center called the Locker Room Fitness Center along with former NFL punter Michael Koenen. The fitness center is still open and is a great facility for those looking for a local gym membership. Quite an impressive way for a former NFL quarterback to support business in his local community!
