The Greatest NFL Starting Job Thefts of All Time
By Erik Lambert
An NFL starting job is like a special weapon in a classic RPG video game. They’re rare and hard to obtain. What nobody talks enough about is how hard they are to keep.
There are so many ways to lose a starting job in football. Injury is often the big one. A player is doing well, goes down with a lengthy health issue and in their absence, a young buck excels in their place. Suddenly that player is seen as old and no longer necessary. There’s also straight competitions, contract holdouts and changes in a scheme that have led to unexpected job thefts.
It’s something that has gone on for decades. It’s happened on every team to varying degrees. So what were the greatest in NFL history. That’s what this list will explore.
Arizona Cardinals: Kurt Warner takes over for Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart was already a celebrity when he arrived in 2006. He’d led USC to three national championship games including two titles and was a former Heisman winner. When the Arizona Cardinals selected him 10th overall, it was apparent they planned for him to be the franchise guy for years to come.
His first year was a bit up and down but there were flashes of that brilliance he could have as a passer. The Cardinals had also signed veteran former MVP Kurt Warner as backup namely for his experience and ability to help teach the position as he’d done for Eli Manning in New York. Going into 2007, no one expected him to see the field.
However, the coaches began to lose patience with Leinart early in 2007 and Warner began to see more playing time. Then Leinart broke his collarbone. Warner finished that year with 3,417 yards and 27 touchdown passes in just 11 games. From then on he was the guy. Leinart never became a starter again and Warner led Arizona to the Super Bowl the next year.