Steve Young, Kurt Warner and James Harrison are among the prime examples in that it’s now how you start, but how you finish. Just because you didn’t light it up early in your career, it doesn’t mean you can’t re-write your story as a feel-good late-bloomer tale.
But the problem is, late bloomers are few and far between. But it hasn’t stopped several NFL teams, fans and analysts from maintaining belief in certain guys that have underwhelmed for a while now.
Here are 10 NFL players that, put simply, it’s time to give up on.
Baker Mayfield
Mayfield was dealt a bad hand when the Cleveland Browns ditched him for Deshaun Watson.
A year after helping the Browns to the postseason in 2020, the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft endured multiple injuries in 2021 and was clearly not his usual self. But at the same time, Mayfield deserved credit for battling through the visible pain and trying to carry the team on his back.
Nonetheless, the Browns gave up on Mayfield after four inconsistent seasons and dealt him to the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2022 season. The hope was that a fresh start and change of scenery would benefit the Oklahoma product, but it never came together.
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Mayfield lost five of six starts in Carolina, completing 57.8 percent of pass attempts for six touchdowns against as many interceptions. The 74.4 quarterback rating he posted also marked a career low.
Granted, Mayfield had minimal success over a short four-game audition with the Los Angeles Rams late in the year. But we’ll chalk that up to the QB guru that is Sean McVay, and it’s not like Mayfield was THAT great in La La Land anyway.
It’s clear that Mayfield is a high-end backup, and not a true starting quarterback. It was surprising to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign Mayfield and no one else to compete with Kyle Trask for the starting QB role in the wake of Tom Brady’s 2023 retirement, but here we are…
You gotta feel for Mayfield, who was determined and devoted to helping the Browns. Unfortunately, his days as a long-term starting QB ended the day the Browns gave up on him.
Sam Darnold
Like Mayfield, Darnold got his fair share of opportunities to prove himself as a capable long-term starter in the NFL. It simply isn’t meant to be.
Was Darnold also dealt a terrible hand with a horrible roster and lackluster coaching during his three years with the New York Jets? Of course. But watch the old game tape. Darnold’s decision making was like that of a reckless rookie “Madden” player.
It’s no wonder the Jets gave up on the No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft after three horrid seasons. As they did with Mayfield, Carolina gave Darnold a chance when they acquired him from Gang Green in a 2021 offseason trade.
But in two seasons as a Panther, Darnold went 8-and-9 as the starter with a 59.5 completion percentage and 16 touchdowns against as many interceptions. Again, that just isn’t acceptable for a starting QB.
The San Francisco 49ers signed Darnold as a free agent in 2023…to simply back up Brock Purdy and/or Trey Lance. It’s not like Darnold is going to revive his career and become the new savior in San Francisco.
Darnold just doesn’t have the decision-making, mechanics or tools to be a starter in this league. He’ll make easy money as a clipboard holder, and trust us, it’s not the worst gig to have. But don’t get your hopes up about him ever living up to his full potential.
It was never meant to be.
Jalen Reagor
We suppose the successful 2022 trade for AJ Brown erases the biggest mistake Philadelphia Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman made back in 2020.
That year, Roseman infamously took TCU wideout Jalen Reagor with the No. 21 selection in the draft. One pick later, the Minnesota Vikings selected LCU receiver Justin Jefferson — arguably the best pass-catcher in the game right now.
Reagor had two awfully underwhelming seasons over his tenure in Philadelphia, totaling 64 receptions for 695 yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles gave up and sent Reagor to the Vikings — fittingly enough, Jefferson’s team! — ahead of the 2022 season.
The fresh start did next to nothing in saving Reagor’s career, however. He tallied eight catches for 104 yards and just one touchdown, unable to make the most of his new surroundings.
It felt like a mistake at the time when the Eagles took Reagor over Jefferson. It didn’t take long to get official confirmation.
C.J. Henderson
Hindsight is 20-20, but maybe the Jacksonville Jaguars should have just paid + kept Jalen Ramsey? That would’ve saved them from wasting the No. 9 selection of the star-studded 2020 draft on CJ Henderson. Just sayin’.
The Jaguars took the Florida corner over future stars like Triston Wirfs Jr., CeeDee Lamb, AJ Terrell, Brandon Aiyuk, Justin Jefferson and Tee higgins. That’s a real ouchie if we’ve ever seen one.
Henderson appeared in just 10 games over two seasons with the Jaguars, before they dealt him to the Panthers — there’s that team again — ahead of the 2021 trade deadline. Not that Henderson’s play improved following the change of scenery or anything.
Through three seasons, Henderson couldn’t lock down a full-time starting position. And per Pro Football Reference, he yielded a completion percentage of over 64.0 percent and an opposing QB passer rating of over 100 in each of those years.
On top of that, Pro Football Focus graded him in the 50s in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In other words, he’s a liability in coverage and a replaceable-level starter. Which means it’s simply time to give up and accept that Henderson is not going to be a star in this league.
Isaiah Wynn
In the 21st century, no team has had more success in drafting and developing stud offensive linemen than the New England Patriots. That said, Bill Belichick sure whiffed on his 2018 first-round pick in Georgia product Isaiah Wynn.
The Pats selected Wynn with the No. 23 selection that year, having lost longtime mainstay Nate Solder to the New York Giants in free agency. Unfortunately, Wynn missed his entire rookie year — the Patriots won the Super Bowl that season — after tearing his Achilles in preseason play.
Aside from a stellar 2020 season in which PFF graded him at 82.6, Wynn’s play in Foxborough was marred by careless penalties and allowing too many sacks. He was inconsistent in the run-blocking game as well, and so it was no wonder that the Patriots happily let him walk in 2023 free agency.
The Miami Dolphins wound up signing Wynn in May, two months after free agency opened. But it’s not like Miami is going to unlock Wynn’s full potential at this phase of his career. If the Patriots and their grade-A coaching staff couldn’t make him a star, the Dolphins sure won’t.
O.J. Howard
Fantasy football gamers can relate to this. We waited and waited and waited for Howard to break out, and it just never came.
But an OJ Howard breakout year is like a fourth Austin Powers movie. After enough time, you just accept that it’s not going to happen.
On paper, the No. 19 selection of the 2017 NFL draft should have been a grade-A fit under Jameis Winston and the whole “no risk it, no biscuit” thing. But even playing with Winston and later the GOAT, Tom Brady, did nothing to help Howard reach his full potential.
Incredibly, Howard’s career-high in TD receptions — six — came as a rookie, and it was all downhill from there. He’s exceeded 500 yards once and has never topped 34 receptions in a season.
Howard’s one-year stint with the Houston Texans in 2022 amounted to nothing, and he wound up signing with the Las Vegas Raiders.
He can be a serviceable backup tight end, but the hope of Howard emerging as a star tight end concluded a long time ago. If Winston and Brady couldn’t help Howard break out, nobody will. Pure and simple.
James Washington
Following Antonio Brown’s well-documented departure from Steel City in 2019, fantasy football players and analysts immediately turned their attention to James Washington.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was the new WR1 in Pittsburgh with AB gone, and Pittsburghs’ 2018 second-round pick was surely ready to produce…right? Look at Brown, JuJu, Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Diontae Johnson: All big-time stud receivers who were drafted after round one.
So it was now Washington’s time to put his stamp on the Steelers’ offense. Or so we thought.
He showed some promise in 2019 by tallying 44 receptions for 735 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers especially stood out because the Steelers lost Ben Roethlisberger for the year in Week 2, and Washington was putting up steady numbers with Mason Rudolph and “Duck” Hodges as his QBs.
But Washington’s play regressed following Big Ben’s return to the field in 2020. Over the next two years, Washington had just 54 total receptions for 677 yards and seven touchdowns.
Washington signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, earning the chance to replace Amari Cooper and the injured Michael Gallup as the new WR2 option to CeeDee Lamb. Injuries limited Washington to two games as a Cowboy, and he was subsequently waived.
Hard to believe it’s already been four years since the hype was big on Washington. But here we are in 2023, and he still hasn’t put it together. Time to accept that Washington is a depth player and nothing more.
Devin Bush
The Steelers traded up to snag the workhorse Michigan linebacker 10th overall in 2019. Couple Bush’s skill set with the Steelers’ savvy coaching staff, and it just felt like a perfect fit in every aspect.
But for whatever reason, Bush was just never able to make it work in Steel City. He had just four total sacks, 13 pass defenses and two interceptions over his four years there, and he only hit 100 tackles in one season.
His metrics in pass coverage were downright awful, and PFF never graded him at higher than 62.9 in a season.
The Steelers had no issue letting Bush walk to free agency, and he wound up signing with the Seattle Seahawks. It was a fine low-risk move for Seattle, but realistically, Bush isn’t going to compete for a starting spot. Not when Seattle already has three quality starting linebackers in Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks and Uchenna Nwosu.
Bush won’t see the amount of playing time he saw in Pittsburgh. And if a Hall of Fame head coach like Mike Tomlin couldn’t maximize Bush’s potential, why should we think the Seahawks will unlock Bush when he’s merely a backup now?
In other words…time to give up on Bush.
N’Keal Harry
Bill Belichick may be the greatest head coach of all-time, but man, the guy sure can’t draft wide receivers to save his life.
Case in point: N’Keal Harry. Belichick took Harry 32nd overall in 2019, ahead of future star wideouts in AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Diontae Johnson and other impact guys like Marquise Brown and Hunter Renfrow.
Whether it was Tom Brady, Cam Newton or Mac Jones, the big-bodied receiver just never found his footing in New England. So the Patriots dealt the disgruntled wideout to the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2022 season for a seventh-round pick.
A move to the Windy City did nothing to save Harry, though.
Through four seasons — and through a plethora of different quarterbacks — Harry caught 64 passes for 714 yards and five touchdowns. Whoop De Doo.
Harry has had more than enough opportunities to prove himself at the NFL level. It hasn’t happened. He’s going to be a journeyman practice squad slash second-stringer at this phase of his career.
Solomon Thomas
The San Francisco 49ers are doing just fine now, but it did take some time to live down the Solomon Thomas draft selection.
San Fran took the Stanford pass-rusher third overall in 2017, ahead of future stars in Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Marshon Lattimore, Deshaun Watson, Marlon Humphrey et al.
We tried being patient with Thomas, given the good situation he was in under a top-tier head coach in Kyle Shanahan. But after tallying just six total sacks over four seasons, the 49ers comfortably moved on from Thomas.
A one-year stop with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 led to a career-high 3.5 sacks for Thomas, but that’s hardly special. He was drafted to be a Pro Bowler and constant threat for double-digit sacks.
Thomas reunited with Robert Saleh and joined the New York Jets in 2022. Despite another unproductive season, the Jets gave Thomas a one-year extension in 2023.
We accepted long ago that Thomas wouldn’t reach expectations. But we suppose a rotational piece is better than nothing at this point of his career…
What other NFL players do fans need to give up on? Join us in the comments section below
