No one said it was going to be easy. It is hard winning a championship- whether it’s the NFL, or any professional league, let alone knowing which team, has the right stuff, to potential to win it all. For this list, we’re going to look at NFL players who joined championship contenders only to lose it all. Active NFL players will be excluded, as they still have time to win that elusive championship.
Here are 10 NFL players who DESPERATELY WANTED to join championship contenders and still lost it all.
Randy Moss
One of the best wide receivers in the NFL, Randy Moss, truly made the late 1990s to early 2000s, Minnesota Vikings, a force to be reckoned with. In 2007, after two miserable seasons with the Oakland Raiders, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots where he scored 23 touchdowns, in his first season, in Foxborough, MA. The Patriots went on to have an undefeated season. Unfortunately, the Patriots’ run for perfection ran out when they lost to the New York Giants 14-17 in Super Bowl 42. Moss was traded to the Vikings in the 2010 season and was signed by the Tennessee Titans after the Vikings released him. He then took a year off from playing, and signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. By this time, Moss wasn’t in his prime, but still scored three touchdowns and helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl 47- but lost to the Baltimore Ravens 31-34.
Wes Welker
Similar to Randy Moss, Welker also joined the New England Patriots in 2007, after three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Welker’s stats skyrocketed during his time with the Patriots. He was on the same undefeated Patriots with Moss, that reached Super Bowl 42, before losing 14-17 to the New York Giants. Unlike Moss, Welker stayed with the Patriots and helped them reach Super Bowl 46, before losing to the Giants, again. In 2013, Welker left the Patriots and joined the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos, where they reached Super Bowl 48, but got blown out 8-43 to the Legion-of-Boom, Seattle Seahawks. Welker spent one more season in Denver before getting released in 2015, and signed with the St. Louis Rams. After Welker had departed, the Broncos led by the No-Fly-Zone defense, won Super Bowl 50, 24-10 against the Carolina Panthers.
Julius Peppers
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Peppers is one of the league’s most outstanding linebackers. Having won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002, Peppers was a nine-time Pro-Bowler, and helped the young Carolina Panthers reach Super Bowl 38 before losing, in last-seconds of the game, to the New England Patriots. Peppers jumped ship in 2010 and signed with the Chicago Bears. He helped them reach the NFC Championship game, which they lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. After a couple more seasons in the Windy City, Peppers was released in 2014 and signed with the Packers, helping them reach two NFC Championship game appearances which they both lost to the Seattle Seahawks (in controversial fashion) and the Atlanta Falcons, respectively. Though Peppers will undoubtedly be a Hall of Famer, he never captured that elusive Super Bowl championship.
LaDainian Tomlinson
Tomlinson is one the best running backs to ever play in the NFL. He helped carry the San Diego Chargers to glory during his nine seasons with the Bolts, and won the AP NFL MVP award in the 2006 season. Unfortunately, Tomlinson experienced playoff disappointments with the Chargers, notably, in the 2006 season when his 14-2 Chargers were knocked out of the Divisional Round to the New England Patriots, and in the 2007-08 AFC Championship to the undefeated Patriots. Tomlinson would join the Rex Ryan-led New York Jets in 2010, where he and Gang Green reached the AFC Championship game, before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though Tomlinson may not have been able to capture a Super Bowl championship, he is still a true NFL legend.
Mark Ingram II
Ingram II, is a former Heisman trophy-winning running back from the University of Alabama. Ingram II was drafted to the New Orleans Saints where he had some success with Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton. However, the Saints had their playoff woes, as they lost in the Divisional Rounds in 2011, 2013, and 2017 respectively, and lost in a very controversial NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams in 2018. Ingram II then took his talents to the Baltimore Ravens, in 2019. There he helped the team achieve a 14-2 record, the one-seed to the AFC Playoffs, and home-field advantage. Even with all of that, they were bounced out of the playoffs to the Tennessee Titans. Ingram II left the Ravens and had a very short stint with the Houston Texans before returning to New Orleans where he stayed until his retirement, at the end of the 2022 season.
Randall Cunningham
Cunningham was the star quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, who helped the team reach the playoffs in the late 1980s until the mid-1990s before abruptly retiring from the NFL after the 1995 season. Cunningham came out of retirement in 1997 and joined the Minnesota Vikings. He truly saw success in the team’s magical 1998 season, when the team finished with a 15-1 record and formed an incredible pass attack with the wide receiver duo consisting of then-rookie Randy Moss and Cris Carter. That season, the Vikings would reach the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, kicker Gary Anderson missed a very crucial field goal and the Falcons took the game to overtime and defeated the Vikings 30-27. Cunningham left the Vikings in 2000 and played for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens until he retired after the 2001 season.
Steven Jackson
Jackson is a former Pro Bowl running back, who spent the majority of his career with the St. Louis Rams. Unfortunately, the Rams were beyond bad in the mid to late 2000s. Jackson did everything he could to help the team win, but the Rams’ offense remained in the trash bin, for several years. After the 2012 season, Jackson joined the Atlanta Falcons, but was a shell of his former self, with 1,250 rushing yards in his two years with the Falcons. In 2015, Jackson joined the New England Patriots, as they dealt with injuries at the running back position. He was part of the Patriots’ playoff run to the AFC Championship game, where they ultimately lost to Peyton Manning and the No-Fly-Zone- Denver Broncos. That game would mark Jackson’s final in the NFL, as he retired in the 2019 season.
Terrell Owens
Owens was one of the NFL’s most electrifying wide receivers, and had some of the most exciting touchdown celebrations anyone ever saw on the field. After eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Owens joined the Philadelphia Eagles, in 2004, and torched opposing defenses with the Eagles. He unfortunately suffered a broken fibula after Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams tackled him, in week 15 of that season. The Eagles reached Super Bowl 39 and Owens defied doctors orders by playing that game. Owens caught nine receptions for 122 yards, but the Eagles still lost to the New England Patriots 21-24. Owens later joined the Dallas Cowboys, in 2006, the Buffalo Bills, in 2009, and the Cincinnati Bengals, in 2010. He never played in the regular season after that, but was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Charles Tillman
Tillman was a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Chicago Bears, from 2003 until 2014. Tillman helped the Bears reach Super Bowl 41, but they ended up losing to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, 17-29. Tillman later joined the Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers in 2015, and helped the team earn a 15-1 record. He also helped the team reach Super Bowl 50, where they ultimately lost to Peyton Manning and the No-Fly-Zone- Denver Broncos. Tillman retired from the NFL after the 2015 season, and joined the FBI, as a field agent.
Jackie Smith
Smith was a five-time Pro Bowl Hall of Fame tight end, with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were a miserable team throughout the 1960s and 1970s, despite everything Smith did on the field. The team only made the playoffs twice during Smith’s time in St. Louis, and were bounced out of the Divisional Round in 1974 and 1975 to the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams, respectively. Smith joined the Tom Landry-led Dallas Cowboys in 1978 and helped the team reach Super Bowl 13, against the Terry Bradshaw-led Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, Smith is remembered for dropping a key pass from Roger Staubach, with two minutes and 46 seconds in the third quarter, as they trailed 14-21. The Cowboys settled for a field goal and eventually lost that game 31-35 to the Steelers. It would be Smith’s final game in the NFL, as he retired immediately after, despite the Cowboys wanting him back for the 1979 season.
