In football, as in life, timing can be everything. Sometimes, players are only able to shine for a short period of time. For others, it’s all about biding your time while you develop your skills and wait for an opportunity to prove yourself.
This is why the NFL has such an interesting combination of players who can be considered one-hit wonders while others who we think of as late bloomers. Here is a closer look at some of the more memorable players in each category.
One-Hit Wonder #1: Robert Griffin III
There was a brief moment in time that the most powerful man in the nation’s capital was none other than Robert Griffin III, better known by fans as “RG3.” In his rookie season, Griffin burst onto the NFL scene by winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his first NFL game, and NFL Rookie of the Month after his first month in the NFL. By the end of the year, he had led the Washington Redskins to an NFC East title.
But after suffering a catastrophic knee injury in the Redskins playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, a combination of egotism, squabbles with head coach Mike Shanahan, and a greater focus on promoting his brand (versus playing quarterback) led to him being benched in 2014, in favor of quarterback Kirk Cousins. Griffin was out of the NFL for all of the 2017 season before landing as a backup with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018.