Fansided

5 NFL players who retired too soon

By Patrick Morgan

Nov 22, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) adjusts his helmet during the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) adjusts his helmet during the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 15: Barry Sanders #20 of the Detroit Lions carries the ball against the Philadelphia Eangles during an NFL football game September 15, 1996 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sanders played for the Lions from 1989-98.(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 15: Barry Sanders #20 of the Detroit Lions carries the ball against the Philadelphia Eangles during an NFL football game September 15, 1996 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sanders played for the Lions from 1989-98.(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

4. Barry Sanders

Ask any Detroit fan who their favorite Lion is, and most will probably tell you it’s Barry Sanders. The ones who don’t are lying, and are most likely still ruefully lamenting the Hall of Famer’s decision to retire after only 10 seasons in the league. Calvin Johnson is just déjà vu all over again for Lions fans.

Like Johnson, Sanders came to the NFL highly regarded. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1988 playing football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and along the way had what many analysts label the greatest individual season in college football history. Sanders averaged a ludicrous 7.6 yards per carry and almost 250 yards per game that year, both of which are mind-boggling stats that are even more impressive when you consider he was the primary workhorse for the Cowboys offense at the tender age of 20.

The Lions rewarded Sanders for his efforts by making him the third overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. Over the course of the next 10 years, Sanders set the world on fire, leading the league in rushing four times, winning the MVP award once, breaking the 2,000 rushing yard mark in 1997, and earning Pro Bowl honors every season he was in the league.

And then it all came to a dramatic halt in July of 1999 when Sanders faxed a surprise retirement letter to his hometown newspaper. Admitting that a contract dispute and the Lions’ losing ways had finally worn down his will to play, Sanders walked away from the NFL just 1,457 yards shy of breaking Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record.

Next: 3. Sterling Sharpe

Home/Chicago Bears