10 NFL Stars Teams Never Should’have Given Up On
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Competing in the NFL is never easy, as stars, Pro Bowl-caliber players, and decently talented players do everything they can to stay competitive and help their teams win as many games as possible.
Every superstar will leave a strong, impactful legacy for the teams they’ve played for over the years, which will live on in the minds of fans for generations to come.
Sometimes, an NFL team will give up on certain talent if they aren’t keeping up with the competition, and other times, teams will release or trade them to other teams, and immediately regret it.
This is nothing new in the NFL, but these teams think one star they have isn’t doing enough, only to release or trade him, just to see him flourish on another team.
Which NFL stars should teams never let go of?
Drew Brees: San Diego Chargers
Brees was originally drafted by the Bolts in 2001, with the expectation that he would be their savior at quarterback after three dreadful seasons with Ryan Leaf.
Brees’ early years with the Bolts were rough, as he threw more interceptions than touchdowns with 29 touchdowns against 31 interceptions from 2001 to 2003.
He turned things around in 2004, throwing 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions, earning the 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, making the Pro Bowl that season, helping the Chargers earn a 12-4 record, and getting them into the playoffs before they lost to the New York Jets in the Wildcard Round 20-17 in overtime.
After the 2005 season, the Chargers released Brees after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, a contract dispute, and wanted to focus on developing Phillip Rivers.
The New Orleans Saints signed Brees, and he helped turn a once-losing franchise into a playoff powerhouse and led them to win Super Bowl XLIV over the Indianapolis Colts.
Brees would also go on to become a two-time Offensive Player of the Year Award winner, led the league in passing yards seven times, led the league in passing touchdowns four times, and made 12 Pro Bowls with the Saints.
Don’t get us wrong, Rivers became a talented quarterback in his own right with the Chargers, and will get into the Hall of Fame, but seeing the Bolts giving up on Brees came back to bite them early on.
Greg Olsen: Chicago Bears
Olsen is regarded as one of the most talented star tight ends to play in the NFL in the 2000s and 2010s, thanks to his elite football IQ and route precision.
Olsen spent the start of his career with the Chicago Bears, where he slowly developed into a decent receiving tight end for Jay Cutler to work with, helping the team make the playoffs in 2010 before they lost in the NFC Championship game to the Green Bay Packers.
In 2011, the Bears gave up on Olsen and traded him to the Carolina Panthers for a 2012 third-round pick because the Bears’ coaching staff prioritized a scheme with more wide receivers over personnel.
The Bears would later regret making the trade, as Olsen flourished with the Panthers, forming excellent offensive chemistry with Cam Newton, which led them to Super Bowl 50 before they lost to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, and made three Pro Bowls.
Olsen also had three straight 1,000-yard seasons with the Panthers, made three Pro Bowls with the franchise, and improved his route-running and football IQ.
The Bears should never have given up on developing Olsen, as he would’ve likely helped them make the playoffs one or two more times in the 2010s, since they failed to qualify until the 2018 season.
Randy Moss: Minnesota Vikings
Moss’ NFL career is legendary, as he made an iconic impact with most of the teams he played for.
Moss began his career with a bang for the Minnesota Vikings, earning NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1998, helping the Vikings post a 15-1 record, and reaching the 1999 NFC Championship game, which they narrowly lost to the Atlanta Falcons.
He revolutionized the Vikings’ offense in the late 1990s and early 2000s, guiding the team to the playoffs four times during his first stint.
Then, in 2005, the Vikings traded Moss to the Oakland Raiders, where he spent two seasons with the team until he was traded to the New England Patriots in 2007 for almost nothing and resurrected his career by scoring the most touchdowns in a season with 23, helped the Patriots earn a 16-0 regular season record, and helped them reach Super Bowl XLII before they lost to the New York Giants.
The Vikings, on the other hand, drafted Troy Williamson with the seventh pick of the 2005 NFL Draft, hoping he would replicate Moss’ production, but he turned out to be a massive draft bust, crippling their passing attack.
Moss was traded back to the Vikings in 2010, but his time with the team was short; he was released after playing in four games and scoring two touchdowns.
If the Vikings hadn’t traded Moss, he would’ve helped the Vikings stay as playoff contenders throughout the 2000s.
Wes Welker: San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins
Welker’s NFL journey in becoming a star was incredibly interesting, as he began his NFL career with the then-San Diego Chargers in 2004 as an undrafted free agent, but was released when the Chargers claimed Clinton Hart off waivers.
Then-Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer admitted cutting Welker was a massive mistake.
Welker then joined the Miami Dolphins and spent a couple of seasons with them, mainly on special teams, as he was effective on kick and punt returns.
In 2006, Welker led the Dolphins in receiving yards, as he had 687 yards, was a reliable pass-catcher for Joey Harrington, and he scored one touchdown.
Welker was originally offered a one-year, $1.35 million deal to re-sign with the Dolphins, but he was traded to the New England Patriots, where he helped lead them to an undefeated 2007 season, while the Dolphins became the league’s laughingstock that season with one win for the year.
Welker also became a five-time Pro Bowler and had five 1,000-yard seasons with the Pats.
If the Dolphins had fully utilized Welker’s talents, they would’ve been able to build a decent roster around him at the time.
Saquon Barkley: New York Giants
Barkley was a force to be reckoned with for the Giants from 2018 until 2023, as he was the vocal point for the team’s offense, even though the rest of the unit was painful to watch.
Barkley made two Pro Bowls with the Giants, three 1,000-yard seasons, and was the 2018 NFL Rookie of the Year award winner.
He even helped the Giants reach the 2022 playoffs and earned a nice 31-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings before the team lost in the Divisional Round to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants gave up on Barkley after the 2023 season due to his hefty price tag, poor contract negotiations, and a focus on other roster positions, as they wanted to focus on improving the offensive line.
Barkley would sign with the Eagles in the 2024 offseason and rushed for 2,005 yards (the most rushing yards in the league) on 345 attempts, scored 13 rushing touchdowns, caught 33 receptions for 278 yards, and scored two receiving touchdowns.
Oh, and Barkley would help the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX 40-22 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Meanwhile, the Giants struggled during the 2024 season, finishing the year with a 3-14 record and in last place in the NFC East.
Barkley was one guy the Giants should never have released, as the move has bitten them hard so far, as he became a bona fide star in the NFL.
Christian McCaffrey: Carolina Panthers
Similar to Saquon Barkley, McCaffrey gave the struggling Panthers’ offense a sign of life, as he served as one of their best running backs in recent history.
McCaffrey helped the Panthers reach the playoffs during his rookie year in 2017. He made the 2019 Pro Bowl, had two 1,000-yard seasons with the team, and became the first Panthers’ running back to reach over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
However, McCaffrey has dealt with injuries in his career, including ankle injuries in 2020 and 2021.
The Panthers ended up giving up on McCaffrey by trading him to the San Francisco 49ers for 2023 and 2024 draft picks in October 2022, during the middle of the season.
McCaffrey stepped his game up with the 49ers during the 2022 season, helping them reach the NFC Championship game before they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Then, in 2023, McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards (with 1,459 yards) and helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl LVIII before the team lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.
The Panthers’ offense took a massive step backward when they traded McCaffrey, as they could’ve focused their rebuild around him.
Josh Jacobs: Las Vegas Raiders
Jacobs is one of the NFL’s star running backs, who was a focal point of the Raiders’ offense from 2019 until 2023.
During his tenure with the “Silver and Black,” Jacobs had three 1,000-yard seasons on the ground and led the league in rushing yards with 1,653 in the 2022 season.
The Raiders let Jacobs walk in free agency due to not wanting to meet his contract demands, similar to how the Giants didn’t want to invest in Barkley, which led the Green Bay Packers to sign Jacobs.
Jacobs immediately took things to the next level with the Packers, as he dominated on the ground with 1,329 rushing yards on 301 carries, scored 15 rushing touchdowns, caught 36 receptions for 342 yards, and scored a receiving touchdown in his 2024 season with them.
Jacobs also helped the Packers reach the 2024-25 playoffs, but they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wildcard Round.
Meanwhile, the Raiders looked incredibly silly not meeting Jacobs’ contract demands and struggled, finishing the 2024 season with a 4-13 record and in last place of the AFC West. They drafted Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
If Jacobs were on the 2024 Raiders, they probably would’ve earned a few more wins for the year.
Baker Mayfield: Cleveland Browns
When the Browns drafted Mayfield, the hype was for real, as he looked to be the franchise’s next savior.
Mayfield showed some promise in his rookie season and broke out in the 2020 season by leading the Browns to an 11-5 record, their first playoff appearance since 2002, and their first playoff win since the 1994 season, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37.
However, he was inconsistent during the 2019 and 2021 seasons, and the Browns’ front office wanted a change at the position.
The Browns traded Mayfield away to the Carolina Panthers, while they made the head-scratching decision to trade for Deshaun Watson during the 2022 offseason.
Mayfield struggled with the Panthers, throwing six touchdowns against six interceptions, and requested his release from the team. Then, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams and showed some promise under Sean McVay.
Then, Mayfield signed a one-year $5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led them to a 9-8 record, first place in the NFC South, and a Wildcard weekend win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Oh, and Mayfield also made two Pro Bowls with the Bucs, so far.
Meanwhile, Watson struggled throughout his temalochulous tenure with the Browns so far, dealt with nagging injuries, and saw guys like Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders play much better than him.
The Browns should never have given up on Mayfield, as he and head coach Kevin Stefanski could’ve made something special happen in Northeast Ohio. The Bucs shouldn’t, either.
Priest Holmes: Baltimore Ravens
Holmes showed flashes of brilliance in becoming an NFL star with the Ravens in the late 1990s, rushing for 1,008 yards and scoring seven touchdowns in 1998.
However, Holmes dealt with injuries in 1999 and was pushed back in the depth chart to make room for Jamal Lewis in 2000.
Holmes did help the Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants, but the team committed to Lewis long-term and moved on from Holmes.
Holmes would sign an inexpensive contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2001 season and make the Ravens regret giving up on him by leading the league in rushing yards with 1,555 and scoring eight touchdowns on the ground.
He also made three Pro Bowls with the Chiefs and became a dominant rusher in their offense.
Jamal Lewis was talented for the Ravens, but the Ravens could’ve re-signed Holmes and formed an incredible backfield with both Lewis and Holmes, causing havoc against opposing defenses.
Marshawn Lynch: Buffalo Bills
Lynch was drafted by the Bills in 2007, as they wanted an explosive playmaker who would make an immediate impact on the ground and work well with Fred Jackson.
Lynch had two 1,000-yard seasons with the Bills, but was misused and misunderstood on the field.
The Bills traded Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 and focused on Jackson instead.
However, the Bills came to regret their trade, as Lynch became a superstar with the Seahawks and had his iconic “Beastquake” run in the Wildcard Round against the New Orleans Saints.
Not to mention Lynch helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII and made four Pro Bowls with them.
The Bills were in mediocrity until they drafted Josh Allen in 2018, who helped resurrect the franchise.
