NFL: 30 running backs who got better after leaving their first team

A third-round draft pick, Ahman Green got little playing time with the Seattle Seahawks. He was playing behind another running back who benefitted from jumping ship (more on him later). Green had to wait until he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 2000 before his career truly got going. He had a great first year in Green Bay, going for 1,175 yards and 10 scores.

It was the start of a great partnership between him and the Packers. From 2001 to 2004, Green was named to the Pro Bowl and the Packers made the playoffs each season. He and quarterback Brett Favre created one of the best offenses from the decade.

Green’s best overall season was in 2003, where he went for 1,883 rushing yards (a franchise record) and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Add to it his five scores as a receiver, he became the first player in NFL history to go over 1,800 yards as a rusher, average at least five yards per attempt, and score a combined 20 touchdowns on offense. Including another productive 2004 campaign, Green became one of just a few players to score three different touchdowns of at least 90 yards.

Injuries shortened his 2005 NFL season, but Green came back to go for 1,059 yards in 2006. That was the last time he played at a Pro Bowl level, playing a couple of seasons with the Houston Texans before coming back to Green Bay for one last season in 2009.

He finished with 9,205 total yards and 60 scores and was a top-three running back at the front end of the 2000s. His career was so defined by being with the Packers that few even remember his NFL career started with the Seahawks.