Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sometimes things simply don’t work out. And they can happen rather quickly in the NFL.
George Allen and Rams II
Rams owner Carroll Rosenbloom was searching for a new coach after parting ways with Chuck Knox, and decided to bring George Allen back. Allen’s hiring was announced on Feb. 1, 1978. Allen brought with him his scrupulous discipline and attention to detail, which didn’t play well with the team. It lost the first two exhibition games and Rosenbloom fired Allen on Aug. 13.
Duane Thomas and Patriots
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Long before the new Patriots’ logo, they attempted to turn around a disgruntled skill position player. Duane Thomas was a troubled as he was talented in Dallas. The Patriots acquired the holdout in exchange for the Patriots’ first draft choice in 1972. Within 24 hours, the Patriots canceled the trade and sent him back to Dallas. He also was dealt to San Diego with similar results. Thomas began his stint with the Chargers by earning a 20-day suspension for failing to report to the team. He never played a game for the Chargers, as the team placed him on the reserve list, making him ineligible for the rest of the 1972 season. On July 20, 1973, the Chargers traded Thomas to defending NFC champion Washington. One of the NFL’s biggest enigmas.
Chuck Muncie and Vikings
After being hit with an indefinite suspension by the league while with San Diego, Chuck Muncie was traded to Minnesota. He started and performed well in the final exhibition game, but he served a one-game suspension in the season opener after failing to attend two aftercare therapy sessions that were one of the conditions of his reinstatement. He retired three days later, citing his need to make his life his first priority and the difficulty with balancing drug rehabilitation with playing football.
John Elway and the Colts
The Baltimore Colts chose John Elway with the first pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The Stanford star wanted no part of that franchise and forced a trade to Denver, never playing a game as a Colt.
Deion Sanders and Washington
Despite having been released by division rival Dallas, Dan Snyder gave 32-year-old Deion Sanders a $55 million contract to sign with Washington. “Prime Time” had four picks in 2000 … and then retired. Ouch.
Larry Brown and the Raiders
Larry Brown was the MVP of Super Bowl XXX as his two picks gave Dallas its third time in four seasons. He signed a five-year contract with Oakland as a free agent and wound up playing 12 games — with 1 start — as a Raider.
Lou Holtz and the Jets
Lou Holtz left a successful program at North Carolina State after 1975 to coach the New York Jets. It was a mismatch from the start and he wound up exiting with the team at 3-10 and not done the 1976 season.
Bobby Petrino and the Falcons
Bobby Petrino was another coach who went after an NFL job. He left Louisville after 2006 to coach the Atlanta Falcons. Bad choice. Like Holtz, Petrino went 3-10 in the NFL. He resigned before the season concluded.
Jay Cutler and the Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins were in a pickle at quarterback. Ryan Tannehill was injured so they reached out to Jay Cutler, who already was signed to broadcast for FOX after retiring. A mind can change when $10 million is waved around and it did. He started 14 games for Miami in 2017, going 6-8 and that was that.
Vontae Davis and the Bills
It was more bizarre than angry but Vontae Davis exiting the Buffalo Bills at halftime of Week 2 in 2018 has to be considered an unusual split. Davis no longer had his heart in the game and left the team, which was getting clobbered.
David Boston and the Chargers
David Boston was drafted by Arizona and then signed a seven-year, $47M contract with the Chargers after 4 seasons in the desert. He did have 70 catches in his lone season. He was suspended for a game for attitude issues and subsequently dealt to Miami. Boston tore knee ligaments before the 2004 season and had 4 catches as a Dolphin.
Neil O’Donnell and the Jets
The Jets saw Neil O’Donnell lead Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl and had to have the Pittsburgh QB. They signed him to a five-year, $25M contract. He went 0-6 as a starter in 1996, then was 8-6 in ’97 before being waived for refusing to renegotiate his contract downward.
Matt Flynn and the Seahawks
Matt Flynn was a serviceable backup throughout his journeyman career. However, one start against the Detroit Lions on Jan. 1, 2012, in a meaningless game saw him throw 6 TD passes and for 480 yards. The Seahawks wanted the free agent — badly. They signed him to a three-year deal worth more than $20M. He was beaten out by Russell Wilson, made no starts and was with three teams in 2013.
Eli Manning and the Chargers
Eli Manning told the Chargers he was not going to play for them. They drafted the QB out of Ole Miss No. 1 overall anyway. Manning stuck to his word and San Diego worked a trade with the Giants, who drafted Philip Rivers fourth overall out of North Carolina State.
Javon Walker and the Raiders
The Raiders liked what they saw in Javon Walker (pictured, street clothes) as a Bronco. They gave him a $55M contract and in return got 11 games and 15 catches over parts of two seasons.
Greg Hardy and the Cowboys
Greg Hardy came to Dallas with all kinds of flashing warning signs from his time in Carolina. Jerry Jones was willing to take the chance despite the defensive lineman’s awful rep. He signed a 1-year, $11.3M contract and gave the Cowboys 12 starts and 6 sacks. Hardy agitated coach Jason Garrett due to inappropriate tweets, frequent tardiness as well as being a bad influence to the younger players on the team and was not re-signed.
Paxton Lynch and the Broncos
The Broncos drafted Paxton Lynch out of Memphis in the first round in 2016/ Over 2 seasons, the 6-foot-7 QB made four starts, going 1-3 and then was gonzo.
Brock Osweiler and the Texans
Another poor QB signing was Brock Osweiler by Houston, which gave the former Arizona State star a 4-year, $72M contract in 2016. He spent a season with Houston before being traded to Cleveland in a deal that allowed the Browns to take a salary cap hit.
Ray Handley and the Giants
Bill Parcells left the Giants after the 1990 season. They thought one of his assistants, Ray Handley, would be a good replacement. It did not pan out. Handley went 14-18 over 2 seasons and was gone. Vanished like he never existed. A truly bizarre NFL story.
Ben McAdoo and the Giants
Ben McAdoo replaced Tom Coughlin after the 2015 season. The tenured started off nicely with an 11-5 mark. However Year 2 brought a 2-10 record and a multitude of issues and problems and McAdoo was gone.
Chip Kelly and the 49ers
Chip Kelly was a college genius. Graduating to the pros was not as simple, though. After a rough stint with the Eagles, the former Oregon coach went to SF and was 2-14 in 2016.
Dexter Jackson and the Cardinals
Dexter Jackson is another DB who parlayed a great Super Bowl (with Tampa Bay) into a rich contract with the Cardinals for $14M. His time in the desert lasted one season. He did have 6 picks. He wound up in Tampa Bay again a year later.
Terrell Owens and the Ravens
Another diva wide receiver, Terrell Owens had worn out his welcome in San Francisco. Owens was traded to Baltimore but wound up filing a grievance saying he should be a free agent. That led to a three-way trade where the WR wound up in Philly without playing a down for Baltimore.
Antonio Brown and the Raiders
One of the more bizarre couplings ended Saturday with Antonio Brown cut by the Raiders and signed by the Patriots.
Bill Belichick and the Jets
Perhaps the fastest split happened with Bill Belichick. He had two stints as coach of Gang Green and never coached a game. First Belichick had two different stints as the head coach of the New York Jets without coaching a game. In 1997, Belichick was named the Jets’ interim head coach while the Jets and Patriots continued to negotiate compensation to release Parcells from his contract with the Patriots and allow Parcells to coach the Jets. Six days later, the Patriots and Jets reached an agreement that allowed Parcells to coach the Jets. Then, Parcells exited after the 1999 season, Belichick was named head coach. A day later, he resigned.
