Worst Player Moves in NFL History

Football player moves can be good for the bottom line but hell on NFL fans and legacies.

Don’t you just hate when an NFL player ruins the back of his football card? Or his old team ruins it for him? Not all that long ago, a young fan could check out those long columns of numbers of his favorite player and be secure to know they all came with his team. That’s my guy — and nobody else can have him!

But in this day and age of rampant free agency, pro athletes change uniforms like the Kardashians do husbands and clothes. Maybe it’s because of the salary cap or ego or revenge. Or to chase a league record or a Super Bowl ring or money (yeah, 99.8 percent of the time it’s about the money). But so utterly out of place are they in new uniforms, it’s hard to believe they’re the same athletes.

OK, sometimes we get why it happens. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it. We’re talkin’ about you.

30. Randy Moss

Randy Moss celebrates 24-yard touchdown reception

Jim Mone / AP Photo

Position: Wide receiver

Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1998-2004–2007), New England Patriots (2007-10), Tennessee Titans (2010), San Francisco 49ers (2012)

Games played with Vikings: 113

Pass yards/touchdowns: 9,316/92

Pro Bowl selections: 4

Super Bowl championships: 0

Games played with other teams: 5,976/105

Pass yards/touchdowns: 64

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Randy Moss

Elise Amendola / AP Photo

When The Freak returned to the Vikings after stints with the Raiders and Patriots, he was back where he belonged. Or so it seemed. “We had good guys, by and large,” coach Brad Childress said, “(but Moss) walked in the locker room and vomited on it.”

Yeah, that’s the word — vomit. That’s what a lot of people did at the awful sight of him in a Titans uniform two weeks later. The guy caught six balls in eight games before he retired briefly. And not a second too soon, either.

29. Orlando Pace

Ed Reinke / AP Photo

Position: Offensive tackle

Teams: St. Louis Rams (1997-2008), Chicago Bears (2009)

Games played with Rams: 158

Pro Bowl selections: 7

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with Bears: 11

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Orlando Pace

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo

By the time this future Hall of Famer turned the big three-oh, his career was pretty much kaput. He labored through three more seasons then couldn’t resist the chance to reunite with his former coach Lovie Smith in Chicago.

But when a guy has worn Ram horns for so long, anything else looks mondo bizarro. He lasted only the first 11 games with a 7-9 team.

28. Steve Atwater

Steve Atwater jumps into air in attempt to block Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre's pass

John Gaps III / AP Photo

Position: Safety

Teams: Denver Broncos (1989-98), New York Jets (1999)

Games played with Broncos: 155

Interceptions/sacks: 24/5.0

Pro Bowl selections: 7

Super Bowl championships: 2

Games played with Jets: 12

Interceptions/sacks: 0/0.0

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Steve Atwater

Steve Atwater makes a tackle for the New York Jets

MikeKennedyNFL / Twitter

Given all the killer hits that he administered and accepted along the way, what more could the Smilin’ Assassin want after 12 seasons, eight Pro Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl titles and a certain Hall of Fame bust?

Uh, how about one forgettable season with the … New York Jets?! His farewell included a hamstring injury and the chance to rub elbows with Bill Belichick, their defensive coordinator.

27. Isaac Bruce

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Position: Wide receiver

Teams: Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (1994-2007), San Francisco 49ers (2008-09)

Games played with Rams: 197

Pass yards/touchdowns: 14,109/84

Pro Bowl selections: 4

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with 49ers: 26

Pass yards/touchdowns: 1,099/7

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Isaac Bruce

San Francisco 49ers' Isaac Bruce looks to catch pass in NFL football game

Jeff Chiu / AP Photo

This guy went from the Greatest Show on Turf to the Short End of the Stick, one might say. Rams management didn’t want to pay the 35-year-old veteran — offensive coordinator Scott Linehan had the hots for younger Drew Bennett instead — so hooked up with his former OC Mike Martz in the Bay Area.

Turned out that he needed his old quarterback Kurt Warner a lot more. It was no way for the Super Bowl XXXIV hero to go out, no way at all.

26. Alan Page

ctsmith56 / Twitter

Position: Defensive tackle

Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1967-78), Chicago Bears (1978-80)

Games played with Vikings: 160

Sacks/interceptions: NA/1

Pro Bowl selections: 9

Super Bowl championships: 0

Games played with Bears: 58

Sacks/interceptions: NA/1

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Alan Page

MSPathletics / Twitter

In his prime, this Vikings legend was fit and trim and quicker than a bee sting. By the time he arrived in Chicago via a midseason trade, he was 33 years old, noticeably slower and a bit on the pudgy side.

To see him in the Bears road whites, well, would it be a stretch to think the Pillsbury Doughboy had made a career change? That his new team was in the same Central Division as the old one only made it worse.

25. Peyton Manning

Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning looks to pass

Mike Roemer / AP Photo

Position: Quarterback

Teams: Indianapolis Colts (1998-2010), Denver Broncos (2012-15)

Games played with Bengals: 208

Pass yards/touchdowns: 54,828/399

Pro Bowl selections: 11

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with Broncos: 58

Pass yards/touchdowns: 17,112/140

Pro Bowl selections: 3

Super Bowl championships: 1

Bottom Line: Peyton Manning

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning throws 509th career touchdown pass

Jack Dempsey / AP Photo

Mr. Omaha spent nearly a quarter of his career in Denver — hard to believe, isn’t it? — but that’s where any comparison with his Indianapolis days begins and ends. Everyone outside of the Mile High City remembers him as the Hall of Fame quarterback with the horseshoe on his white helmet, not the broken-down one with the snortin’ bronco on his navy blue lid.

Just like you can steal a franchise from Baltimore, you can move a Manning out of Naptown. But you can’t take the Colts from either one.

24. Joe Montana

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana prepares to unleash 13-yard first-down toss

Risberg / AP Photo

Position: quarterback

Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1979-90, 1992), Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94)

Games played with 49ers: 167

Pass yards/touchdowns: 35,124/244

Pro Bowl selections: 7

Super Bowl championships: 4

Games played with Chiefs: 25

Pass yards/touchdowns: 5,427/29

Pro Bowl selections: 1

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Joe Montana

AP Photo

As good as Eric Clapton was with Derek and the Dominos, he was at his best with Cream before them. So it was with Joe Cool, who was finer as a Niner than as a Chief.

We don’t know about you, but that Montana-to-Willie Davis connection didn’t make us all tingly on game days. At least the future Hall of Famer stayed in red and didn’t embarrass himself, or else he would be higher on the list.

23. Clay Matthews

Tim Sharp / AP Photo

Position: Linebacker

Teams: Cleveland Browns (1978-93), Atlanta Falcons (1994-96)

Games played with Browns: 232

Interceptions/sacks: 14/*62.0

Pro Bowl selections: 4

Super Bowl championships: 0

Games played with Falcons: 46

Interceptions/sacks: 2/7.5

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Clay Matthews

Clay Matthews in stance with Browns uniform

BrownsBackersWV / Twitter

The oldest of the Matthews brothers was as Cleveland as the Terminal Tower and a summer without a pennant. Yet after 16 seasons with the team, the Browns did the unthinkable — they released the 37-year-old linebacker on the heels of another workmanlike performance.

That he played out the string with the Falcons was just plain wrong, not to mention weird. If ever a player deserved to retire as a Brownie, this was the one.

22. Larry Allen

David Phillip / AP Photo

Position: Offensive guard-tackle

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1994-2005), San Francisco 49ers (2006-07)

Games played with Cowboys: 176

Pro Bowl selections: 10

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with 49ers: 27

Pro Bowl selections: 1

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Larry Allen

Dallas Cowboys guard Larry Allen shares a laugh with Zuriel Smith

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

You want bizzaro, kids? OK, here’s a 335-pound load of it. For nine seasons, this earthmover cleared the way for Emmitt Smith, a Hall of Fame combination that has no comparison in the modern era. When the Cowboys declined to pay the 35-year-old lineman for past performance, however, he not only changed teams but jersey numbers as well.

No. 71 in scarlet red and metallic gold didn’t look anything like No. 73 in navy blue and silver. Not even close.

21. Steve McMichael

Charlie Knoblock / AP Photo

Position: Defensive tackle

Teams: New England Patriots (1980), Chicago Bears (1981-93), Green Bay Packers (1994)

Games played with Bears: 191

Sacks/interceptions: 92.5/2

Pro Bowl selections: 3

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with other teams: 22

Sacks/interceptions: 2.5/0

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Steve McMichael

Walter Payton jokingly interviews teammate Steve McMichae

Charles Knoblock / AP Photo

For any member of the vaunted 1985 Bears defense to switch sides in the Packers-Bears wars was beyond traitorous. But if anyone was capable of it, it was this cock-eyed tackle who wrestled on the side.

We’ll let him explain the move: “For 13 years, I helped the Bears beat the Packers every year. I whupped their a**, right? So, the last year, I went up there on my last leg, and I wasn’t any good anymore. So, I stole their money and whipped their a** again!”

20. Andre Reed

Mark Duncan / AP Photo

Position: Wide receiver

Teams: Buffalo Bills (1985-1999), Washington Redskins (2000)

Games played with Bills: 158

Pass yards/touchdowns: 13,095/86

Pro Bowl selections: 7

Super Bowl championships: 0

Games played with Redskins: 11

Pass yards/touchdowns: 103/1

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Andre Reed

Washington Redskins wide receiver Andre Reed scores touchdown

John T. Greilick / AP Photo

It’s not always only about the money. Sometimes, it’s also about an elusive Super Bowl ring. While Washington, D.C., seemed like a good place to pursue his first one at the time, the 36-year-old Bills all-timer was on fumes when he got there.

He didn’t start a single game, scored one stinkin’ touchdown and looked really out of sorts in burgundy and gold. Thankfully, it was his only season there. We ask you, was it worth it?

19. Lance Alworth

San Diego Chargers' flanker back Lance Alworth dives

AP Photo

Position: Flanker-wide receiver

Teams: San Diego Chargers (AFL 1962-69, NFL 1970), Dallas Cowboys (1971-72)

Games played with Chargers: 110

Pass yards/touchdowns: 9,584/81

Pro Bowl selections: 7

AFL championships: 1

Games played with Cowboys: 26

Pass yards/touchdowns: 682/4

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 1

Bottom Line: Lance Alworth

Lance Alworth smiles working out as Dallas Cowboy

George Brich / AP Photo

Start with those Chargers power blues, the best uniform in the history of history. Did anyone wear the Bolt better than Bambi for nine brilliant seasons? Nope.

So, to see him play with the Cowboys star was shock theater to anyone familiar with his career. True, his trade to Big D proved to be a fortuitous career move — he even scored the first touchdown in the team’s Super Bowl VI victory. It just came with the wrong team, that’s all.

18. Warren Sapp

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp runs into endzone

Peter Cosgrove / AP Photo

Position: Defensive tackle

Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995-2003), Oakland Raiders (2004-07)

Games played with Buccaneers: 140

Sacks/interceptions: 77.0/3

Pro Bowl selections: 7

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with Raiders: 58

Sacks/interceptions: 19.5/1

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Warren Sapp

Tampa Bay Buccanners defensive tackle Warren Sapp cheers fans

Tony Ranze / AP Photo

Buccaneer red and pewter was the ideal fit for this University of Miami product and one-time Super Bowl champion. But Raiders silver and black? Seriously, Fat Joe in Speedos would have looked better.

Physically and aesthetically, the really wide load was a shell of his former large self in Oaktown, where he was paid $19.2 million to wheeze through four years of a seven-year contract.

17. Art Monk

Washington Redskin wide reciever Art Monk picks up yardage

David Longstreath / AP Photo

Position: Wide receiver

Teams: Washington Redskins (1980-1993), New York Jets (1994), Philadelphia Eagles (1995)

Games played with Redskins: 205

Pass yards/touchdowns: 12,026/65

Pro Bowl selections: 3

Super Bowl championships: 2

Games played with other teams: 19

Pass yards/touchdowns: 695/3

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Art Monk

New York Jets Art Monk tries to keep Troy Vincent at arms length

Ron Frehm / AP Photo

A victim of advanced age and the newly minted salary cap, this 36-year-old has-been received a modest $600,000 contract offer from Redskins management after the 1993 season. Insulted, he spent time on the injury reserve list because of hurt feelings.

The geezer signed with a crummy New York Jets team for a few bucks less and went on to break the league record for most consecutive games with a pass reception (178), but he was woefully out of place while he did it. His last hurrah was more like a whimper — the bench-warmer caught six balls for the Eagles and then finally called it quits.

16. Ed Reed

Ed Reed runs with ball after interception

Gail Burton / AP Photo

Position: Safety

Teams: Baltimore Ravens (2002-12), Houston Texans (2013), New York Jets (2013)

Games played with Broncos: 160

Interceptions/sacks: 61/3.0

Pro Bowl selections: 9

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with other teams: 14

Interceptions/sacks: 3/0.0

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Ed Reed

New York Jets cornerback Ed Reed runs with ball after intercepting pass

Lynne Sladky / AP Photo

Two months after the Pro Bowler helped lead the Ravens to a Super XLVII victory, he was a salary cap victim. Rather than go out on top, the 34-year-old signed with the Texans.

Except this Ed Reed wasn’t that Ed Reed. And the Texans defense wasn’t the Ravens defense, either. After seven consecutive losses, the veteran moved onto the Jets of all teams. Really, could a Hall of Fame career have ended much worse?

15. Mike Webster

Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

Position: Center

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-88), Kansas City Chiefs (1989-90)

Games played with Steelers: 220

Pro Bowl selections: 9

Super Bowl championships: 4

Games played with Chiefs: 25

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Mike Webster

Portrait of Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster

Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

For 13 seasons, Iron Mike was the rock of the Super Stillers offense. Remember those massive biceps? Vice-like hands? Quick feet? Flawless trap blocks and pass protection?

In Kansas City, we sure as heck don’t. The guy who was in the right place for so many years was in the wrong one at the end.

14. LaDainian Tomlinson

LaDainian Tomlinson carries against Oakland Raiders

Lenny Ignelzi / AP Photo

Position: Running back

Teams: San Diego Chargers (2001-09), New York Jets (2010-11)

Games played with Chargers: 157

Rush yards/touchdowns: 12,490/138

Pro Bowl selections: 5

Super Bowl championships: 0

Games played with Jets: 16

Rush yards/touchdowns: 1,194/7

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: LaDainian Tomlinson

LaDainian Tomlinson runs past Detroit Lions safety Louis Delmas

Carlos Osorio / AP Photo

Are the Jets the place where old stars go to fade away or what? Here’s another one.

L.T. went to New York to resuscitate his career, a decision that he would call the best of his football life. Yeah, sure, but the ex-Charger sensation didn’t have to watch himself play in pukey green for two seasons.

13. Tony Dorsett

Tony Dorsett takes ball from Roger Staubach

Joe Caneva / AP Photo

Position: Running back

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1977-87), Denver Broncos (1988)

Games played with Cowboys: 157

Rush yards/touchdowns: 12,036/72

Pro Bowl selections: 4

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with Broncos: 16

Rush yards/touchdowns: 703/5

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Tony Dorsett

AP Photo

In a perfect world, the Pittsburgh area native would have been a Steeler for life. America’s Team wasn’t a bad alternative, though, what with his flash and dash and All-America pedigree.

But after the younger Hershel Walker nudged T.D. out of the backfield, the veteran wound up in Denver, where he had one OK season with a .500 team. Just OK didn’t do justice to his Hall of Fame career.

12. Deacon Jones

AP Photo

Position: Defensive end

Teams: Los Angeles Rams (1961-71), San Diego Chargers (1972-73), Washington Redskins (1974)

Games played with Rams: 151

Sacks/interceptions: NA/2

Pro Bowl selections: 7

Super Bowl championships: 0

Games played with other teams: 40

Sacks/interceptions: NA/0

Pro Bowl selections: 1

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Deacon Jones

KevG163 / Twitter

The Deacon Jones we remember was a force of nature, quite possibly the greatest pass-rusher in football history. He was the inventor of the head slap, the person who coined the term “sack” to denote quarterback mutilations. He was a member of the Fearsome Foursome.

Most of all, he was a Ram. Not a Charger and certainly not a Redskin.

11. Thurman Thomas

Mark Duncan / AP Photo

Position: Running back

Teams: Buffalo Bills (1988-99), Miami Dolphins (2000)

Games played with Bills: 173

Rush yards/touchdowns: 11,938/65

Pro Bowl selections: 5

Super Bowl championships: 0

Games played with Dolphins: 9

Rush yards/touchdowns: 136/0

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Thurman Thomas

Buffalo Bills' Thurman Thomas carries ball against New York Jets

Mark Lennihan / AP Photo

This was worse than strange. It also was downright ugly. By the time he reached 30, the tragic number for running backs, everyone was doubting Thomas except Thomas himself. When the salary cap-strapped Bills released him three years later, he learned of the news on a television news scroll. Or so he claimed.

He signed a three-year deal with the AFC East rival Dolphins partly to chase a Super Bowl ring, partly out of spite. Then, he seldom played in the regular season, sat out the playoffs because ofa bum left knee and retired one year too late.

10. Jerry Rice

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice celebrates with teammate Steve Wallace

Eric Risberg / AP Photo

Position: Wide receiver

Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1985-2000), Oakland Raiders (2001-04), Seattle Seahawks (2004)

Games played with 49ers: 238

Pass yards/touchdowns: 19,247/176

Pro Bowl selections: 12

Super Bowl championships: 2

Games played with other teams: 65

Pass yards/touchdowns: 3,648/21

Pro Bowl selections: 1

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Jerry Rice

Oakland Raiders' Jerry Rice makes a 47-yard catch

Bob Galbraith / AP Photo

This all-timer played forev-er and ev-er. And it got weirder and weirder. It wasn’t so bad when the 38-year-old was traded to the Raiders. Hey, at least they had cool unis and were only a few miles across the Bay and in the other conference.

But when he signed with the Seahawks — the pre-Russell Wilson Seahawks, mind you— that was too much for the human brain to comprehend. Ohhh, but there’s more … At 42, he signed with the Denver Broncos but never suited up for a game. Thank you, Touchdown Jesus!

9. Jim Taylor

Preston Stroup / AP Photo

Position: Fullback

Teams: Green Bay Packers (1958-66), New Orleans Saints (1967)

Games played with Packers: 119

Rush yards/touchdowns: 8,207/81

Pro Bowl selections: 5

Super Bowl championships: 4

Games played with Saints: 14

Rush yards/touchdowns: 390/2

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Jim Taylor

New Orleans Saints back Jim Taylor picked up first down

Ferd Kaufman / AP Photo

This diesel that drove the Packers dynasty scored the game-winner in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game (later renamed the Super Bowl). Then, Superman stepped out of the phone booth as Jimmy Olsen.

Only weeks later, the expansion Saints signed the well-worn veteran to a 10-year contract before they had played a game. That the LSU alum hailed from Baton Rouge softened the landing a bit, but to see the once-proud Packer bow out with a bunch of sorry butts was difficult on the eyes to say the least.

8. Sam Huff

Sam Huff defense linebacker for Washington Redskins poses

AP Photo

Position: Linebacker

Teams: New York Giants (1956-63), Washington Redskins (1964-67, 1969)

Games played with Giants: 102

Sacks/interceptions: NA/18

Pro Bowl selections: 4

NFL championships: 1

Games played with Redskins: 66

Sacks/interceptions: NA/12

Pro Bowl selections: 1

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Sam Huff

AP Photo

Shame on you,Allie Sherman, wherever you are. After the 1963 season, the coach began a purge of the old guard that he had inherited two years earlier. Chief among the victims was the heart of a legendary defense that had willed six division titles and one league championship in eight years. “I’ll never forget that trade,” Huff huffs, still pissed six decades later. “I look at my life in Washington and with the Redskins and can’t forget what I’ve accomplished here. But at the time, the trade was very, very upsetting.”

You would be surprised how many Giants old-timers still vouch for that.

7. Bobby Layne

AE / AP Photo

Position: Quarterback

Teams: Chicago Bears (1948), New York Bulldogs (1949), Detroit Lions (1950-58), Pittsburgh Steelers (1958-62)

Games played with Lions: 97

Pass yards/touchdowns: 15,710/118

Pro Bowl selections: 4

NFL championships: 2

Games played with other teams: 78

Pass yards/touchdowns: 11,058/78

Pro Bowl selections: 2

NFL championships: 0

Bottom Line: Bobby Layne

AP Photo

When the Blonde Bomber told his teammate to block, they blocked. When he told them to drink, they drank. But the words “trade me” never rolled off the whiskey-stained lips of still the greatest QB in franchise history. Scared off by his drinking and gambling habits, team management did just that two games into the ’58 season.

His old team hasn’t won it all since he stormed out the door, a phenomenon known as The Curse of Bobby Layne. Wait — we think we just heard him tell the Lions to go to hell for another 50 years.

6. Tom Brady

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady passes

Winslow Townson / AP Photo

Position: Quarterback

Teams: New England Patriots (2000-2019), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-present)

Games played with Patriots: 285

Pass yards/touchdowns: 74,571/541

Pro Bowl selections: 14

Super Bowl championships: 6

Games played with Buccaneers: 16

Pass yards/touchdowns: 4,633/40

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 1

Bottom Line: Tom Brady

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady holds up Vince Lombardi trophy

Ashley Landis / AP Photo

After 20 seasons with Bill and the Belicheats, how can we ever remember this legend as anything except a Patriot? Simple, really.

After Tomboy wins six more Super Bowls in pewter, red and Bay orange, we’ll barely remember his New England days, and he’ll be off this list.

5. Emmitt Smith

Dallas Cowboys' Emmitt Smith eludes grasp of Washington Redskins

Tim Sharp / AP Photo

Position: Running back

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1990-2002), Arizona Cardinals (2003-04)

Games played with Cowboys: 201

Rush yards/touchdowns: 17,162/153

Pro Bowl selections: 8

Super Bowl championships: 3

Games played with Cardinals: 25

Rush yards/touchdowns: 1,193/11

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Emmitt Smith

Arizona Cardinals runningback Emmitt Smith celebrates after running for touchdown

Matt York / AP Photo

Please tell us this never happened. Emmitt Smith did not play with a deranged bird on a white helmet. He did not split time with someone named Marcel Shipp.

He did not lose one yard on six carries and break his left shoulder in the only game against his former team. He did not conclude his Hall of Fame career with 4-12 and 6-10 records. Nooooo!

4. Franco Harris

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris runs by Cleveland Browns linebacker Bob Babich

JJW / AP Photo

Position: Fullback

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-83), Seattle Seahawks (1984)

Games played with Steelers: 165

Rush yards/touchdowns: 11,950/91

Pro Bowl selections: 9

Super Bowl championships: 4

Games played with Seahawks: 8

Rush yards/touchdowns: 170/0

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Franco Harris

Betty Kumpf / AP Photo

Jerry Rice, Seahawk, weird. Franco Harris, Seahawk, beyond weird. The one-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player entered the ’84 season only 363 yards short of the league career rushing record. He and team management also were roughly $165,000 apart in contract negotiations. After an extended holdout, the Steelers said see ya.

The 34-year-old took his ball to Seattle of all places, where he joined an expansion team that had been in existence for seven years. All because of a thousand bucks. The guy never got the record, and the image of him on the bench with a one-eyed pigeon on his lid looks stranger and dumber every day.

3. Joe Namath

New York Jets' quarterback Joe Namath fades back

AP Photo

Position: Quarterback

Teams: New York Jets (1965-76), Los Angeles Rams (1977)

Games played with Jets: 136

Pass yards/touchdowns: 27,057/170

Pro Bowl selections: 5

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with Rams: 4

Pass yards/touchdowns: 606/3

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Joe Namath

Los Angeles Rams' Joe Namath looks out from sidelines

David F. Smith / AP Photo

Rather than be part of a rebuild with a bad team, Broadway Joe wanted out of New York. What better destination for the 34-year-old than La-La Land, right? Then, the guy who threw 44 interceptions in his last two seasons with the Jets had to play the games.

In the final one of his career, a 24-23 loss against the Bears in Chicago, Freeway Joe was benched after four more picks. On Monday Night Football, no less. We can’t tell whether our final memory of Joe Willie was more strange or downright sad.

2. Brett Favre

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre reacts

Morry Gash / AP Photo

Position: Quarterback

Teams: Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992-2007), New York Jets (2008), Minnesota Vikings (2009-10)

Games played with Packers: 255

Pass yards/touchdowns: 61,655/442

Pro Bowl selections: 9

Super Bowl championships: 1

Games played with other teams: 47

Pass yards/touchdowns: 10,183/66

Pro Bowl selections: 2

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Brett Favre

Minnesota Vikings' Brett Favre prepares to throw ball

Ann Heisenfelt / AP Photo

Opie hardly embarrassed himself in the final three seasons of his Hall of Fame career. It’s just that, when a quarterback has been the face of the Packers for the better part of 16 seasons, it’s impossible to think of him with another team. Far worse, the breakup was Amber Heard-Johnny Depp stuff — as messy as any in pro team sports history.

What’s more, the QB couldn’t have picked a worse team to play out the string than the Vikings, the Packers’ most dreaded NFC Central rivals. Add it all up, and the player who had been the most revered in modern franchise history went out as its most vilified.

1. Johnny Unitas

John Rous / AP Photo

Position: Quarterback

Teams: Baltimore Colts (1956-72), San Diego Chargers (1973)

Games played with Colts: 206

Pass yards/touchdowns: 39,768/287

Pro Bowl selections: 10

NFL/Super Bowl championships: 3

Games played with Chargers: 5

Pass yards/touchdowns: 471/3

Pro Bowl selections: 0

Super Bowl championships: 0

Bottom Line: Johnny Unitas

San Diego Chargers' Johnny Unitas throws ball

AP Photo

We’ve had recurring nightmares about thehorrible, horrible image of the first GOAT of the expansion era in those gaudy yellow pants and numerals. Then it hit us — no way in h-e-double-uprights would Johnny U. have left Baltimore. It was a hoax, people! Dude, the guy was Baltimore.

So, we have a theory … See, the 1972 Chargers were so dog breath, they were desperate to stoke fan interest. Ultimate team player that he was, the 40-year-old legend agreed to participate in practices, media sessions and the like. Except on game days, he stayed in the locker room while a dead ringer in his famous No. 19 threw lame passes when called upon. How could anyone tell the difference? There. We feel sooooo much better now.