One-hit wonders are hardly a new phenomenon in the sports world. Soccer supporters have joked about Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah having such reputations. Brady Anderson once smashed 50 home runs seemingly out of nowhere. The National Football League is no stranger to such occurrences. A handful of players over the years have been one-and-done sensations who enjoyed one great season but were never the same following those bright campaigns. While some earned contracts off those seasons, they nevertheless failed to reach what were thought to be great heights among observers and those who watched as the players became household names, if only for 15 minutes.

Different players are one-and-done performers for different reasons. In multiple cases, injuries impacted what those individuals were able to accomplish in future seasons. Others, however, just weren’t talented enough to sustain those runs of form for longer than even a few weeks, let alone past an entire campaign. There remain several of these types of players still in the NFL as of December 2018, and they will be looking to prove doubters wrong and earn opportunities with clubs once the new league year opens in March. Will any of them become All-Pro talents and stars, or are they all destined to be remembered for what they did not become following breakout seasons?

20 Ickey Woods

Younger football fans who never saw Ickey Woods in the backfield of the Cincinnati Bengals may know him for his famous dance once spotlighted in a television commercial. Decades before that ad, Woods rushed for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie during the 1988 campaign. Unfortunately, he went down with a torn ACL during his sophomore season, and that setback proved to be the beginning of the end of what was a promising career. His last official carry as a pro came during the 1991 campaign, but his famous celebration will live long in the memories of both players and fans.

19 Derek Anderson

Baker Mayfield, who is finishing his rookie season in December 2018, is quickly becoming a beloved figure among fans of the Cleveland Browns who haven’t had a real QB to cheer for since the days of Derek Anderson leading the offense out on the field in 2007. Anderson became Cleveland’s starter by default that fall because somebody had to fill the role, and he threw 29 touchdowns en route to nearly guiding the Browns to a postseason berth. That was as good as things would get for Anderson, who has been little more than a backup for teams such as the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills over the past decade.

18 David Tyree

David Tyree never produced the type of numbers one would want to see from a No. 1 wide receiver during his tenure with the New York Giants, but he seemed on the verge of becoming an important figure in the team’s offense after he caught a touchdown and then used his helmet for one of the most famous receptions in NFL history during Super Bowl XLII. Tyree never got to that level, though, as a knee injury that he sustained in 2008 ultimately cost him his spot on the New York roster. Big Blue fans nevertheless have a special place in their hearts for Tyree because of that incredible helmet catch.

17 Greg Cook

As a rookie, quarterback Greg Cook enjoyed a nice rookie season in 1969 when he averaged 9.4 yards per pass attempt and 17.5 yards per completion, rookie records that may never be topped. The Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller also threw 15 touchdown passes, and he finished that year with 1,854 passing yards. During that same campaign, he tore a rotator cuff that went undiagnosed, and the injury proved even worse than originally feared following that season. Cook appeared in only one game during the 1973 season, and that was his last outing in the NFL. Bengals fans still talk about what Cook could have been for the franchise had he remained healthy into the 1970s.

16 Steve Smith

This Steve Smith isn’t the more well-known one who featured for the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens and who is a personality on NFL Network. Instead, it’s the Steve Smith who won a Super Bowl championship with the New York Giants and who was responsible for a clutch third-down reception during that title contest. Smith became Eli Manning’s favorite target during the 2009 campaign when he caught 107 passes thrown his way and finished that year with seven touchdowns. He sustained a knee injury in late 2010, and he was unable to make it back as a full-time starter with the Philadelphia Eagles or St. Louis Rams before he retired in the spring of 2013.

15 Josh Gordon

Don’t throw dirt on the grave of the career of wide receiver Josh Gordon just yet. Gordon tallied Hall-of-Fame-caliber numbers during the 2013 season with the Cleveland Browns, and he was the best wideout in the NFL for a period of time that fall. Personal issues and league suspensions cost him multiple seasons, though, and the Browns (finally) parted ways with him when the team traded him to the New England Patriots in September 2018. Gordon has performed well with the Patriots, but he hasn’t played the same as he did in 2013. It’s possible his prime is nothing more than a memory ahead of the 2019 postseason.

14 Justin Blackmon

Unlike Josh Gordon, Justin Blackmon has not been able to conquer similar demons and make it back to an NFL roster as of the final weeks of 2018. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Blackmon in the first round in 2012, and he notched 64 catches and five touchdowns his rookie year. The four-game suspension he earned in the spring of 2013 was only the beginning of his woes, and he ended that year indefinitely banned for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He hasn’t played a down since the 2013 campaign, and there is no sign the 28-year-old has any real interest in returning to the Jags or to the NFL.

13 Case Keenum

Perhaps Pat Shurmur, who is currently the head coach of the New York Giants, really can work magic, because Case Keenum has only played like a quarterback worthy of a starting gig under that offensive mind. Keenum was little more than a journeyman quarterback at the start of the 2017 season until he became a starter who took the Minnesota Vikings all the way to the NFC Championship. His play that season earned him a contract with the Denver Broncos, but he has not yet been able to replicate his Minnesota form with his new employer. Keenum could find himself having to earn his role with the club in 2019.

12 Michael Clayton

Wide receiver Michael Clayton was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and he remained in the NFL up through the 2011 campaign. Clayton never played better than he did as a rookie, though, when he posted 80 receptions and found the end zone seven times. He appeared in 14 games the subsequent season, but he wasn’t a consistent performer across 10 starts. His 2006 season was much of the same, and he never managed to tally even 40 catches any single year until he and the Bucs parted ways with him in September 2010. He was more of a bust than a star with Tampa Bay.

11 Gary Barnidge

Fans of the Cleveland Browns had little to cheer for during the 2015 season, but tight end Gary Barnidge gave those customers reasons to want to spend their money the following year. In 2015, Barnidge had 79 catches and scored nine touchdowns, one of the finest years ever had by a Cleveland tight end. He earned himself a trip to the Pro Bowl, but that would be his only appearance at one of those games as an active player. His 2016 campaign was a disappointment, and the Browns released him in April 2017. He apparently is still a free agent after taking 2017 off. It’s not known if any franchise wants to take a flier on him for 2019.

10 Tommy Maddox

Tommy Maddox is only one reason why some of us are excited that the XFL is coming back. The career backup found a home with the Los Angeles Xtreme, where he became a star and XFL MVP before being given a job by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2001. He started 11 games for the Steelers in 2002 after replacing Kordell Stewart, and he threw 20 touchdowns and completed over 62 percent of his passes. That was Maddox’s best NFL season and the only one where he accumulated a winning record as a starter. He lost his spot on the depth chart to a guy named Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.

9 Matt Flynn

Matt Flynn should be a hero among NFL players because he managed to earn a huge contract even though he never had one great full season. Flynn flashed some promise as a backup for the Green Bay Packers, and he produced single-game franchise records in a win over the Detroit Lions in January 2012. That outing resulted in the Seattle Seahawks signing him the following March, where he remained the starter for less than half a calendar year before he lost the job to Russell Wilson. Wilson went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seahawks, while Flynn never started a game for the franchise.

8 Don Majkowski

Don Majkowski looked like a franchise quarterback during the 1989 season when he threw for over 4,300 yards and 27 touchdowns while with the Green Bay Packers. Majkowski came back down to earth in 1990 before he went down with a shoulder injury. Following that setback, Majkowski started 11 contests for the Packers before an ankle injury caused him to be sidelined and opened the door for Brett Favre to become the leader of the offense. Favre stayed in the lineup moving forward until the end of the 2007 season, while Majkowski played in the league through 1996. We suppose there is no shame in falling down the depth chart in favor of a Hall of Fame signal-caller.

7 Terrelle Pryor

Terrelle Pryor was a flop as an NFL quarterback, so he wisely made the switch to wide receiver in 2015. The following season, Pryor played like a top-tier weapon at the position for the Cleveland Browns, reeling in 77 passes and notching over 1,000 receiving yards. The Browns and Pryor didn’t come to terms on a new contract the following March, though, and he signed with the Washington Redskins. Tenures with the Redskins and New York Jets did not go to Pryor’s liking, and he was last released by the Buffalo Bills in November 2018. He’s only 29-years-old, but he may be out of chances to play in the NFL.

6 Vince Young

Much has been made about the relationship between Vince Young and Jeff Fisher, which may or may not have derailed the quarterback’s career. What we do know is that Young never played as well as he did during his first season in the NFL, when he produced a total of 19 touchdowns (12 passing, 7 rushing) en route to winning Rookie of the Year honors. Young was relegated to a backup role by Fisher during the 2008 campaign, and he was released by the club in the summer of 2011. He floated around the NFL, but he never found a full-time starting job with any franchise until making the move up north to the CFL in 2017. Fans can now see him performing in holiday shows.

5 Peyton Hillis

Peyton Hillis was a running back unfamiliar to casual NFL fans at the start of the 2010 season, but that changed after he became a star with the Cleveland Browns. That year, Hillis rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he was voted the cover player for the following year’s edition of Madden by fans. Perhaps he is yet another supposed victim of the curse that affects players featured on those game covers. Hillis spent only one more year with the Browns before the team allowed him to enter free agency, and he scored only three rushing touchdowns between 2012 and 2014. He retired in 2015 after being released by the Giants.

4 Rashaan Salaam

Running back Rashaan Salaam was well worth the first-round pick the Chicago Bears used to grab him in the 1995 NFL Draft during his rookie season. He rushed for 1,074 and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, but his numbers drastically decreased the following year. His tenure with the Bears ended after the 1997 season, and his NFL career was over after the 1999 campaign. After his pro career ended, Salaam spoke about the personal issues that prevented him from becoming a superstar capable of starting for an NFL team for a decade. Sadly, he died at the very young age of 42 in 2016.

3 Cadillac Williams

Like Rashaan Salaam, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams produced the best numbers of his career during his rookie season. Taken fifth overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2005 NFL Draft, Williams rushed for 1,178 yards, six touchdowns, and 4.1 yards per carry his debut year. Those were all career bests for Williams, who failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark in 2006 or any other season. He did experience somewhat of a career resurrection in 2009, following setbacks caused by multiple torn patellar tendons, when he accumulated 823 rushing yards, but he became a free agent after the 2010 season. He spent a year with the St. Louis Rams. That would be his last in the league as an active player.

2 Tim Tebow

No, Tim Tebow was not an elite, franchise quarterback during the 2011 regular season, but he did help the Denver Broncos make the playoffs. Tebow even threw a walk-off touchdown pass for a postseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That play remains Tebow’s best NFL highlight. The Broncos traded him to the New York Jets in March 2012 after signing Peyton Manning, and he was released by that club in April 2013. Both the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles offered Tebow chances to play in preseason contests without giving him opportunities during fall months. He has embarked on careers in minor league baseball and broadcasting, but we probably won't see him under center in the NFL again. 

1 Robert Griffin III

It’s easy to forget how well Robert Griffin III played for the Washington Redskins as a rookie during the 2012 season because of all that’s happened since. RG3 ended that year with 20 touchdown passes and only five interceptions, a record TD-to-interception ratio for a rookie, and also 815 rushing yards and seven rushing scores. Several injury setbacks coupled with supposed issues behind the scenes resulted in the Redskins naming Kirk Cousins the team’s starter for the 2015 campaign, and RG3 moved on to the Cleveland Browns in 2016. After playing five games with the Browns and spending 2017 unemployed by a franchise, he became a backup with the Baltimore Ravens. Don’t be shocked if he’s out of work by March 2019.