10 Former NFL Quarterbacks You Had No Idea Found a Better Career Path After Football

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Host: Aaron Leger
Writer: Alex Hoegler
Editor: Kyle McCormick
#sambradford #nfl #nflquarterbacks

[@marcomcdowell8861]

Millions from NFL contracts really help in jumpstarting new careers.

[@iponce2]

True. Although, a lot of these guys waste their millions too. A fool and his money, and all that

[@remoevans7847]

Yet the majority are broke within 4 years of leaving the game. 🤔

[@ReaperRells]

Which is what you’re supposed to do

[@davidv2700]

Rick Mirer isn't the only former NFL quarterback to become a successful winemaker. Drew Bledsoe's wineries are home to some award winning wines.

[@KevSon29]

Sam Bradford isn't as bad nor a bust. His injuries were the main problem.

[@gatorstebow]

Or his team don't have defense

[@Natey11]

facts

[@jamesleuthauser9336]

Correction, our sh!!tty at-the-time Coaches and Management didn't value obtaining talent that would protect him and ruined his career which honestly could've been well above average but likely not amazing

[@BreadSlicer666]

It's still considered a bust if an early pick has their career derailed by injuries. Bust doesn't necessarily mean bad player, just a pick that didn't work out.

[@gmb858]

@@BreadSlicer666 bust is a negative no matter how you try to paint it. Bust means "couldn't cut it, didn't make it, substandard, below acceptable performance expectations - all while completely healthy. Way too much is made out of the #1 pick especially if the pick is a QB. Bradford, RGIII, Mayfield, all drafted by bottom dwellers with substandard owners and management along poor players on the roster that can't get the job done.

[@rediron44]

Brady Quinn makes a fortune on TV now. He's killing it

[@frankcastle3971]

One of my favorite college quarterbacks and NFL quarterbacks just sad he never had much success in the NFL.

[@surferguy1974]

Tim Tebow. He's enjoy his best life in Ministry and Preaching!

[@Garf_malarf]

Bradford was awesome when he played healthy. He would have had a great career if it wasn’t for the injuries.

[@TheBlueDogMan]

Bradford pretty much blue because he was a weak and injury prone player. He is the reason they put a limit on rookie quarterback contracts because he performs so poorly.

[@tomholman4991]

Ryan Leafs head coach was fired before the start of his first season. The San Diego Chargers organization imploded. I’ve always thought blaming Leaf wasn’t fair.

[@Joemamasfat]

It was 50 50 in terms of who's fault they didn't help him and he didn't help himself

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

He was definitely part of the problem. But it is impressive how he's got his life completely turned around.

[@Mau13-m7q]

You forgot Jake Plummer and his shroom business.

[@martian78]

I think they were just highlighting qb busts. Jake “the snake” Plummer was a good quarterback 😉

[@augustusjames4347]

Correct, and as a Broncos fan, he'd led the team in 2005 to the AFC Championship that year, but lost to the eventual SB winner, Pittsburgh Steelers.

[@timmcm9538]

@@augustusjames4347 Didn't Jake the Snake also beat Tom Brady's Patriots to get to the AFC championship to play the eventual Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers with Ben R? 2005 was an exciting year in the NFL.

[@augustusjames4347]

@@timmcm9538 You bet. Although I wasn't fond of the year itself, but at least that was also when Darrent Williams was drafted from my alma mater, Oklahoma State. It sucks that his life was taken way too soon.

[@stevenpfotzer112]

Steve Spurrier was a long time backup QB for the 49ers, but upon retirement rose to become an outstanding college football coach

[@billmalone5050]

Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, Joe Namath, Len Dawson, Pat Hayden, Bob Greisie, Terry Bradshaw, Tony Romo, Phil Simms, and Jack Kemp all found success after their mostly successful football careers ended.

[@paxhumana2015]

Don Meredith, Terry Bradshaw, and Tony Romo became sports commentators. What else did those people do, let alone what Roger Staubach, Joe Namath, Len Dawson, Pat Hayden, Bob Griese, Phil Simms, and Jack Kemp did, after they all left the game?

[@paxhumana2015]

Edit: Roger Staubach sold The Staubach group to Jones Lang LaSalle in 2008, and, in 2018, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Joe Namath became an actor on stage, screen, and film, as well as a color commentator for both ABC Sports and NBC Sports, he dabbled in being a talk show host, filling in for Johnny Carson on The Johnny Carson Show a few times, and he almost became the second host of Family Feud, where he lost to Ray Combs. He is a restaurant owner with a restaurant that is called the Lucky Shuck. He also kind of had one too many once on a football game in 2013, and he got into trouble with that incident. However, a few years afterward, he tried, and failed, to find two boys that had went missing, where they are still presumed missing to this day. He also had owned a nightclub, was a spokesperson for Hanes, Ovaltine, and Noxzema. He currently works for Medicare Coverage hotline as a spokesperson. Len Dawson actually was a pretty busy person, as, for not just the majority of his football career, but also a significant amount of time afterwards, he was a sports director for a local television station, as well as was a spokesperson for Depends, and he was also an anchorperson for said local television network as well. Pat Haden became an attorney for Riordan, Lewis, and Haden, a color commentator for CBS Sports and NBC Sports, and he was a Rhodes Scholar. Bob Griese became a commentator for CBS, ESPN, and ABC, and their sports divisions. Phil Simms worked for NBC and CBS as one of their sportscasters. His son, Chris Simms, is like his father, while his other son, Matt Simms, runs a quarterback camp, and also has a podcast. Jack Kemp was a high ranking politician, and had become a United States Representative, the Housing Secretary under President George H.W. Bush, was a Vice-Presidential Nominee with Bob Dole during the 1996 Presidential Election, and he also got a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom Award by President Barack Obama in 2009.

[@GreenShark-hn7pk]

Even though they weren't successful on the field, at least they had a good career post NFL

[@D.ocument.The.Journey]

Making the nfl in itself is a success imo

[@vanessastegall]

Tony Romo went from Dallas Cowboys Quarterback to CBS Sports Commentator

[@DawnBlum]

Romo was no bust.

[@crimcrusader8459]

And amazingly, he was undrafted.

[@paxhumana2015]

@@DawnBlum , he was basically the 2000s version of Dan Marino, but for the Cowboys instead of the Dolphins.

[@baxatakbaxatak2014]

Ryan Leaf is an excellent media presence. Shoutout to Rich Eisen for helping him get his foot in the door and sub-host TRES.

[@thesandman918]

Sam Bradford's agent should be in the HOF Dude got like $130mil in salary without a winning season...add in the injuries he dealt with the fact that agent was continually able to get that type of money for Bradford is pretty legendary IMO

[@matthewalexanderlemma8000]

Was so surprised to hear a year or two ago that Matt Ryan wore the #2 because of Tim Couch. Must’ve grown up a fan of his.

[@johnconway9882]

You can call some of these quarterbacks "disappointments," but I'd disagree with calling many of them "busts." Rick Mirer (10 years NFL), Christian Ponder (6 years NFL), Sam Bradford (9 years NFL), David Carr (10 years NFL).

[@Drocky526x4]

The second I heard Christian Ponder, I thought "Bruh look at his wife, trust me he's doing incredible in life......"

[@toughbutsweet1]

I always thought Leaf, Locker, and Ware had phenomenal talent as college quarterbacks, and would have drafted them. Funny how so many things can stop all of these amazing athletes from performing like they might have.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Well, Ware just never had it when it came to the NFL. Never adapted to NFL offenses, or defenses speed. Leaf had many problems, on a mess of a team. Locker might have been good had his career not been ruined by injuries early, and often.

[@robertbrackins1308]

Im glad to hear Ryan Leaf is doing well. I remember when him and Payton Manning were drafted,most people thought he would be the better of the two.

[@ImaginaryNate]

Bradford’s actually one of the more underrated QBs of his time. Had a season where he threw 3,877 with a TD:INT of 20:5. That’s better than nearly every quarterbacks’ best season. Also had .500 win records nearly every season he started.

[@TheBlueDogMan]

Woo that’s awesome mostly played 500 ball and had one, only one season where he was good. Tony Romo was undrafted and was a hell of a lot better than Sam Bradford.

[@bryantsteury8910]

As shitty as Leafs career was, it's been beyond phenomenal seeing how he's turned his life around after hanging it up. A real feel good human story

[@sasquatchhunter86]

He’s very open about his experience too. Very telling about his development as a person since then.

[@MilsurpMikeChannel]

I know you are aiming for busts here... but Roger Staubach was far more successful outside of football than when he played. He is still the richest former NFL player in history thanks to his real estate investments.

[@DotBone89]

Beat Army!

[@DawnBlum]

Wow. and it's not even close to be honest. Staubach is more than twice as wealthy as the next player, Payton Manning and worth $600 million. He's also (from what I have heard here in the DFW area) a very good person. I would guess that he kinda got lucky, in that getting into real estate in DFW in the late 70's and early 80's made a ton of people obscenely rich. He had a recognizable name and experience in the industry (he worked for a real estate firm in the offseason). He was smart, and well connected, plus known as a man of integrity. One of very few rich people I actually admire. Though on the downside, probably voted for Trump....

[@joeshelby3854]

Jerry Richardson is richer than Roger Staubach. Richardson played for the Baltimore Colts. He also owned the Carolina Panthers

[@paxhumana2015]

@@DawnBlum , I do not know, Tim Couch is part-owner of a multi-billion dollar company. How much did Roger Staubach made with his real estate deals, adjusted for inflation, out of curiosity?

[@UnicornOfDepression]

Bradford was the last QB to cash in before rookie contracts became a thing. Great timing for him, or really smart, knowing his injury history.

[@Nomah1979]

Tim Couch was a victim of bad teams and coaching. He really wasn't a bust at all. He would have been a middle of the league QB in a good system

[@Impereaux]

Dan Orlovsky

[@awakenedbyyhuhassembly6015]

Orlovsky never should have been drafted

[@thefranks123]

Did they seriously just say Cleveland’s worst qb was couch???? Not Johnny Football or Deshone Kiser?

[@nate61]

At least Couch took NFL Cleveland Browns to the playoffs once that the other two never did

[@CameronRoses]

Johnny "Football" Manziel had the greatest season in world history at QB for the 2022 Amarillo Armadillos in the Texas Beer League. He went 11-0 and tossed 69 TDS that season, including 9 in the title game against the San Antonio Gunslingers before a record crowd of 1,342 at Amarillo High School stadium. Johnny Football was League MVP and BeerBowl MVP.

[@nate61]

@CameronRoses that is outstanding indeed 😍

[@nathanakers45]

You can't forget the immortal Spergon Wynn...drafted 16 picks BEFORE Tom Brady

[@buddyg7497]

Joey Harrington, Dan McGwire, Jim Drunkenmiller, David Klingler, Todd Marinovich, Tony Banks, Browning Nagle, Akili Smith, Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, and Charles Ward l

[@samholder196]

Bradford was a badass and also seriously secured the bag

[@bigredracingdog466]

0:30 JaMarcus Russell

[@MrBlue3rd]

It's good to know these players moved on to have success elsewhere. Being an owner of a dispensary is questionable and not admirable.

[@stm305]

what kind of business do you own?

[@MrBlue3rd]

​@stm305 The politicians who allowed legal weed to happen in the states or cities they represent hates its people. They want their population Sediated and stupid as it's easier to control its people that way.

[@paxhumana2015]

@@stm305 , et al, the one where he minds his own business and where he does not use a business to legally k i l l b r a i n c e l l s , and people, you trolls.

[@CameronRoses]

And, after the NFL, Johnny "Football" Manziel had the greatest season in world history at QB for the 2022 Amarillo Armadillos in the Texas Beer League. He went 11-0 and tossed 69 TDS that season, including 9 in the title game against the San Antonio Gunslingers before a record crowd of 1,342 at Amarillo High School stadium. Johnny Football was League MVP and BeerBowl MVP.

[@paxhumana2015]

Go away, trolls.

[@Eddieavina123]

Love your video TPS and keep up the great work you are awesome

[@anthonysilas3420]

Bradford stole almost $40 million dollars from the Cardinals!!!!!

[@cardinalbob1]

Not a QB but Alan Page of the Vikings’s Purple People Eaters later became a Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

[@davidgilbert3821]

Superbowl 59 matches we wanted to see besides chiefs vs eagles.

[@martinhughes2637]

Rick Mirer putting that ND education to work!

[@vaporterra]

This was a decent video topic tbh

[@RickyIcecubes]

I remember when I wanted my Bengals to draft Jake Locker 4th overall, and was mad when they took AJ Green instead. They took Andy Dalton 35th overall. They definitely made out much better than they would've if Locker would've been the pick.

[@johncrandall5782]

I almost feel like you could do an episode just on NFL players that went into selling the marijuanas

[@kewlbeone5949]

David Carr was a stud in the NFL. A victim of circumstances.

[@richardvaldez1413]

Bring back Justin fraction for the commentary !!! Pls. I need my yearly dose

[@rathofturkey]

Though I get it, I never really liked the term “draft bust”. Think about it this way: it’s extremely difficult to make it to any collegiate program to play football, even at the D3 level. Which makes it even more challenging to make it to the NFL. At this point, You’ve already done better than most student athletes throughout the nation. That’s already success in my book but continuing. Upon being drafted and most likely signed, you’re guaranteed a minimum salary contract which should be a considerable amount even after paying your agent. Save up your money, play the game and see where the game takes you. If it pans out, you’ll most likely have a chance to earn even more money. If not, retire from the game and take that money you saved up and start some kind of business or investment.

[@mitchellbaker9434]

Bradford could have just bought a place on the beach, laid on a hammock, and smoked weed all day with the money he got paid. Shuler was a top 10 pick, but Wash also drafted Gus Frerotte that year in the late rounds and he beat out Shuler

[@CappyCorning]

Don't know that Carr and Shuler really fit the title of this video. Hard not to know Carr's analyst work on NFL Network and Shuler's political career is much better known than most of the other stories on this list. Good to know all these guys landed on the feet post-career though.

[@hughjass-pz3cp]

sam bradford = gingerbread quarterback all you needed to do is look at sam and he was out of the game. i was surprised he didn't get his PGA card and turn pro. he was a scratch golfer just goofing around. he was good at basketball and baseball as well. the movie THE NATURAL was about baseball. butt sam WAS a natural. he could have turned pro in beach volleyball if he chose to.

[@hyronvalkinson1749]

Yall remember Bradford and Foles were traded only for both to leave the NFL as total busts? Foles came back for some reason... and history was made.

[@bloomth]

Shocking its easy to find a career you love when you have millions in the bank to keep you warm at night.

[@devonbrooks246]

Wow, Tim Couch seemed like he did the best.

[@DevonteScott-y8o]

What happened to QB's: (1). Rodney Peete. (2). Paxton Lynch. (3). Josh Rosen. (4). Giovanni Carmazzi. (5). John Parker Wilson. (6). Gino Torretta. (7). Shaun King. (8). Nick Foles. (9) Quincy Carter. (10). Chris Leak. (11). Brock Berlin. (12). Drew Henson. (13). Mark Brunell. (14). Marc Bulger. (15). Matt Leinert

[@phantomblade89]

Matt Leinert is a football analyst

[@kevhead1525]

Craig Krenzel immediately came to mind.

[@nathanakers45]

An odd coincidence, but both Mirer and Bledsoe became successful winery owners.

[@normanrodriguez6670]

Losman had potential, a damn cannon for an arm, but had a crap O-Line, hung in the pocket too long and got sacked a bunch.

[@deftonesplayer420]

Do a 10 NFL players in the cannabis industry

[@bonafide9781]

I forgot that Bradford never played for the Browns. I always assumed he did.

[@David-Indy]

Try Curtis Painter from Puudue. He fits right in there.

[@paulshelly7193]

Groper Cleveland is the browns worst QB

[@christianvera7631]

Bradford made $130 million in his NFL career...

[@DotBone89]

Some guy named Staubach did pretty well. $613M in 2008.

[@andyleo8418]

Bradford had some huge contracts. He never fulfilled them, but he retired with a healthy nestegg. Losing your job to Josh Rosen is absolutely rock bottom. Rosen was even a bigger bust.

[@brianyerger583]

If you get into the right business and are successful, you can make more money in the long run than a pro athlete.

[@frankcastle3971]

I always wondered what happened to Tim Couch.

[@tobechukwuokonkwo5957]

The Couch brothers......

[@K-Rock1963]

You could have spent more time on their success after the NFL, instead of their failures during

[@standardofexcellence]

Sam bradford is just a ryan reynolds reskin

[@MooneyesOMS1]

Lawsman looking like Adam Sandler twin lok

[@lastpme]

I would had added Tim Tebow…

[@randallross420]

Sam Bradford has the face of a pediatrician.

[@AaronPICAR]

It’s not Bradford’s fault he had spider webs for knee ligaments

[@tobechukwuokonkwo5957]

Roger Staubach....he just might be the most successful former NFL player of all time (billionaire), besides that former Carolina Panthers owner who was a former Chicago Bear (also was a billionaire), who was fired as as NFL owner after several investigations launched into his conduct and prejudice.......

[@chrisgriffin7710]

Bad NFL organizations make horrible decisions on who will be their QB1. Compare teams like GB who have a line of successful QB's to teams like my Bears. Thank goodness they got Caleb, and now Ben Johnson to work with him. Hopefully we will finally break da cycle.

[@Josh-g1h9n]

Who was worst Russell or Leaf?

[@aleks1939]

The video needs an entirely different title.

[@AJD-LsUp]

Where is JaMarcus Russell on your list? How does that even happen?

[@stuffanimalsfnaf4363]

🐻⬇️❗️❗️❗️

[@SamClemens-n9q]

Whatever happened to Donovan McNabb? I heard he took up drinking and driving 🤷‍♀️

[@josephconsuegra6420]

Roger Staubach,

[@EnvirotekCleaningSystems]

No one said Staubach?

[@Kyngslayer11]

yo

[@A_to_Zappa]

That thief Brett Favre belongs in prison.

[@MrManCave]

👍🏾

[@Ron-k8e7f]

why you talk so fast

[@7se7entp]

Does anyone actually know what “generational” means? 😂 bro said two generational QBs in the same draft….smh

[@nunyabusiness5075]

This is a terrible title for this video. You can be a great football player and still have a better, more profitable career after football. For example, two time superbowl winning QB Roger Staubach got into real estate after his football career and in 2025 has a net worth of somewhere around 600 million dollars.

[@Skerboysweet]

Dude Bradford never won the division… get your facts straight before making a video

[@k7j6]

You were mentioning about Brett Favre after his retirement. I thought I liked Brett Favre! But these days I CAN’T STAND HIM. Especially since he has been devoted to scums like Nike & also bad people outside there as well!

[@TheNewYorkGiantsfan]

First