Former Washington Huskies WR John Ross III, who retired in 2023, attempting an NFL comeback

In high school, Ross was a track star and a two-way football player. He was rated as a four-star recruit.

He played three seasons for the Washington Huskies. In his final college season, in 2016, Ross was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the year. He had over one thousand receiving yards and scored 17 touchdowns.

At the NFL Combine, Ross set the record in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.22 seconds. (That record was eclipsed in 2024 by Xavier Worthy, who recorded a time of 4.21 seconds.)

The Cincinnati Bengals Selected the Lightning-Fast Wide Receiver No. 9 Overall in the 2017 NFL Draft

Ross was rated by Sports Illustrated as the second-best wide receiver in the Draft. He was ultimately selected ninth overall in the Draft and bears the dubious distinction of having been selected before Patrick Mahomes.

Here are the first ten players selected in the 2017 NFL Draft:

1. Myles Garrett — Cleveland Browns (Texas A&M)
2. Mitchell Trubisky — Chicago Bears (North Carolina)
3. Solomon Thomas — San Francisco 49ers (Stanford)
4. Leonard Fournette — Jacksonville Jaguars (LSU)
5. Corey Davis — Tennessee Titans (Western Michigan)
6. Jamal Adams — New York Jets (LSU)
7. Mike Williams — Los Angeles Chargers (Clemson)
8. Christian McCaffrey — Carolina Panthers (Stanford)
9. John Ross — Cincinnati Bengals (Washington)
10. Patrick Mahomes — Kansas City Chiefs (Texas Tech)

Ross Spent Four Disappointing Seasons with the Bengals

Ross signed a four-year, $17.1 million contract with the Bengals, and received a $10.6 million signing bonus.

Things did not work out.

In four seasons with Cincinnati, Ross had a total of 51 receptions for slightly over 700 yards. He scored seven touchdowns.

In Ross’s first two seasons with the Bengals, Marvin Lewis was the team’s head coach. Some of the blame for Ross’s disappointing performance was placed on Lewis. Cincy Jungle pointed out that Lewis “treat[ed] rookies like no other NFL head coach.” He was reluctant to play young players.

Blame was also allocated to Ross. He reportedly let his fame, wealth, and status “get to his head.” And, he reportedly did not learn the team’s playbook.

Additionally, Ross was plagued by frequent injuries.

Ross demanded a trade from the Bengals

Ross’s NFL Career Remained Mostly Stagnant After He and the Bengals Parted Ways

In 2020, the Bengals declined the fifth-year option on his contract, making him a free agent in 2021.

In March 2021, he signed a one-year $2.5 million deal with the New York Giants. He played in ten games for New York, starting in one. He finished the season with eleven receptions for 224 yards, with one touchdown.

Ross did not play in 2022.

In January 2023, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, but announced his retirement a few months later.

Now, Ross will have another opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles to showcase his talent.