Heisman busts: 12 biggest Heisman Trophy winners who flamed out in the NFL

Nobody got paid more money to do less as an NFL franchise quarterback than Sam Bradford. As a sophomore at Oklahoma, Bradford dominated the Big 12 en route to the Heisman Trophy. But during his junior season, his eventual undoing professionally became his undoing. Nobody got hurt more often than did Bradford. Despite a season-ending injury, he still went No. 1 overall in 2010.

Bradford was thought to be the quarterback savior for a downtrodden St. Louis Rams team. While he was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, he’s best known for tearing ACLs, the Rams being absolutely horrendous and being the last No. 1 overall pick to earn more money on his rookie contract than most NFL veterans. After 2014, St. Louis traded him to Philadelphia.

Bradford played alright in his one year with the Philadelphia Eagles, but not well enough for him to be seen as a viable franchise quarterback. He was dealt the next season to the Minnesota Vikings, where he actually thrived and finally played like a Pro Bowl-level player. However, that success was not sustainable as he sustained yet another injury in 2017. Case Keenum would take over.

2018 was Bradford’s last year in the NFL, as he got paid a ton to not win games with the Arizona Cardinals. In nine NFL seasons, Bradford played in 83 games, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 19,449 yards, 103 touchdowns and 61 interceptions. He had the look and everything to be a franchise quarterback, but bad health and bad luck led Bradford to be just a Heisman bust.