Laziest NFL Players: Regarding NFL players, one may readily presume that they are diligent people. Football players who want to play in the NFL have a very low roster percentage. The proportion of people who break through and become stars in the league is even smaller.
In light of this, you would think that a star in the league would have to work extremely hard to maintain their position. But you would be mistaken. There has never been a shortage of players in NFL history whose careers were destroyed by extreme laziness.
Laziest NFL Players:
10. Charles Rogers:
Charles Roger, a wide receiver, was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2003 draft, just one pick ahead of Andre Johnson. They passed up one of the top receivers of the 2000s in favour of the laziest in league history, and it turned out to be one of the worst decisions in NFL history.
After his rookie season, Rogers was mostly either on the bench because of his poor play or suspended for drug abuse. He was cut after just three seasons, and head coach Rod Marinelli even said that the receiver’s sloth was a contributing factor in his dismissal. He never again signed with a team.
9. Ryan Leaf:
The tale is as old as modern times. Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning were regarded as the top two quarterback prospects in the 1998 NFL Draft. The latter was first taken by the Indianapolis Colts. Leaf then left for San Diego.
The Colts ended up with a superior quarterback. Due to his substance abuse problems, Leaf occasionally skipped practice and got into arguments with teammates and reporters. After just three seasons with the Chargers, he was cut, and by 2003, he had left the league.
8. Lawrence Phillips:
Running back Lawrence Phillips was selected by the St. Louis Rams as a first-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. The team’s decision to select future Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers was directly influenced by this draft. It turned out to be a fatal error.
While Phillips wasn’t always reliable on the field, he had his moments. He quickly started having problems off the field, missing team meetings and practices. Coach Dick Vermeil begged him several times to straighten out his life, but he was unable to do so and had left the league by 1999.
7. Vince Young:
As mixed a career as they come, Vince Young’s was. He was selected to the Pro Bowl several times, was a quarterback for more than ten years, and much more. He finished his career with more turnovers than touchdowns, though, and failed to live up to his draft position as well.
The mental aspect was lacking, but the physical talent was present. Longtime coach Jeff Fisher would regularly chastise Young for persistently disobeying team policies, such as skipping practice or acting rudely. Young was shipped out of Tennessee in 2011 as a result of his carelessness and laziness, and he never fully recovered.
6. Mike Williams:
Before he wasn’t, Mike Williams appeared to be a future star for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following three outstanding seasons, the wide receiver was awarded a six-year, $40 million contract by the team. Williams probably stopped giving a damn at that point.
Williams’s on-field performance was already deteriorating, so it didn’t help that he started to get hurt. Just one year after agreeing to his big contract, he was traded, and the following season, Buffalo cut him. The wide receiver was cut in 2015 and reports out of Tampa Bay and Buffalo indicated that he didn’t take his career or preparation seriously. This was soon demonstrated by a drug suspension.
5. Randy Moss:
Arguably, the second-greatest wide receiver in NFL history is Randy Moss. Jerry Rice is the only wideout thought to be superior to the former All-Pro. Even so, the 49ers legend feels that had Moss taken his career seriously, he could have been even better than him.
When Rice famously said that Moss was lazy, not many people disagreed. The wide receiver was frequently shipped out of town due to his attitude and lack of preparation. Moss went on to become an NFL legend despite his laziness.
4. Michael Vick:
The legacy of Michael Vick as a person and as a player is intricate. The quarterback had a long career, was the face of two franchises, and was a multiple Pro Bowl selection. Nevertheless, he was incarcerated for dog fighting in addition to other scandals.
But, Vick was probably going to be shipped out of Atlanta even before his arrest. The passer was extremely athletic, but he mostly relied on his skill and didn’t spend much time practising his mechanics. Years later, Vick acknowledged that he spent a significant amount of his career being incredibly lazy.
3. Tony Mandarich:
One of the biggest draft busts in history is Tony Mandarich. The offensive lineman was considered a generational talent when he graduated from college. Surprisingly, he failed to live up to the expectations and, after six largely forgettable seasons, was out of the league.
Mandarich’s failures were attributed by many to drug and steroid abuse. The offensive lineman later disclosed that was untrue after he retired. Mandarich believed that he became a draft bust because of his terrible work ethic and laziness.
2. Albert Haynesworth:
Albert Haynesworth wasn’t always a sloth, to be fair. He was actually among the league’s best players at one point. That work ethic, though, vanished in 2009 when he accepted a $100 million contract from Washington.
Haynesworth stopped caring right away. The lineman, in contrast to many other players, would intentionally leave plays on the field and didn’t even try to hide it. Haynesworth’s career ended after just three seasons under his new contract.
1. Jamarcus Russell:
Most people agree that Jamarcus Russell is the most slothful player in NFL history. The Oakland Raiders’ first-overall selection had unmatched talent. Despite being a larger player, he maintained his agility and speed, was able to make every throw on the field, and had an incredible arm.
But Russell stopped caring once he was drafted and faked everything, including practice and games. This was also noticed by the Raiders. Once, the team handed Russell a blank DVD and instructed him to watch the movie, and then report back to them on what he saw. According to the story, Russell came back the next day and shared his opinions about the movie. The team was aware that the DVD was empty.
So, this was all about the laziest NFL Players. Also read, Top 10 Most hated NFL Players of all time
