Top 25 NFL running backs whose careers were derailed too early
15. . 7,176 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns. New Orleans Saints. George Rogers. 23. player
Rogers was one of the most dominant running backs of his era, but it seemed drugs were always lurking around the corner, robbing him of attaining all-time great potential.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft, Rogers burst onto the scene with a 1,674 rushing-yard and 13-touchdown performance en route to being named Rookie of The Year and his first of three Pro Bowl berths. Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is the only running back to ever rush for more yards as a rookie.
However, Rogers testified that he and his teammates purchased over $10,000 worth of cocaine and used it during that rookie season prior to checking himself into a rehab facility. Rogers, according to teammates, was the Saints’ biggest supplier of cocaine that season.
Rogers went on to play four more seasons in New Orleans, including sharing a backfield with future Hall of Famers Archie Manning and Earl Campbell, producing a pair of 1,000-plus yard rushing seasons and scoring 23 rushing touchdowns prior to getting traded to Washington in exchange for a fifth-round and 11th-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft.
When Rogers retired at the age of 29 in 1987 he said that it was nagging injuries that caused him to walk away from the game, after suffering what he believes were multiple concussions during his career.
- Super Bowl champion (XXII)
- Two-time first-team All-Pro
- Three-time Pro Bowler
- NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year
- New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame inductee