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Top 10 NFL Players Teams Gave Up On Too Soon

By Erik Lambert

Nov 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Indianapolis Colts place kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) kicks the game winning field goal from the hold of punter Pat McAfee (1) against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Colts defeated the Falcons 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Indianapolis Colts place kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) kicks the game winning field goal from the hold of punter Pat McAfee (1) against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Colts defeated the Falcons 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 16, 2016; Oxnard, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams former quarterback Kurt Warner attends Los Angeles Rams organized team activities at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Oxnard, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams former quarterback Kurt Warner attends Los Angeles Rams organized team activities at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

#2:  Kurt Warner

This man actually fits the profile in multiple stages. Kurt Warner didn’t get much attention when he first came out of college, having spent just one year as a starter at Northern Iowa. Still, the Green Bay Packers gave him a shot during their training camp in 1994. It didn’t go well and he was cut. Over the next four years he spent time in the Arena League and NFL Europe before finally landing a roster spot with the St. Louis Rams. There he emerged as one of the most unlikely success stories in league history. He won MVP honors in 1999 and 2001, won a Super Bowl and reached three Pro Bowls.

Injuries though began to pile up on him and by 2004 the Rams felt it was only going to get worse at age 33. So they decided to go with younger option Marc Bulger. Warner went to the Giants for a year, was 5-4 as a starter before being pulled again for Eli Manning. His final stop came with the luckless Arizona Cardinals where he spent two years moving between backup and starter before once again making an unlikely rise. In 2008 he produced his fourth Pro Bowl season and led the Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

The Rams? They didn’t even reach a conference championship after Warner left.

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