10 NFL Players Who Tricked The Entire League

Cousins may put up incredible regular-season stats throughout his time in the league, but he has lacked postseason success, as he’s 1-3 as a starter in the playoffs.

Sure, Cousins’ stats are impressive, but he’s been very inconsistent during primetime games and has failed to deliver when it mattered the most. 

The only time Cousins earned a win in the playoffs was back in the 2019-20 season, when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-20 in overtime in the Wildcard Round, but then lost to the San Francisco 49ers 27-10 in the Divisional Round.

Cousins has also been paid high compensation under high-value contracts but hasn’t delivered strong results, as we saw when he played for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2024 season, going 7-7 as a starter, throwing 18 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.

Cousins signed a massive five-year, $172 million deal with $20 million guaranteed with the Las Vegas Raiders, as he’s likely going to be the starter for them in the upcoming 2026 regular season, while first-round pick Fernando Mendoza watches from the sidelines.

Will Cousins find his groove with the “Silver and Black” in the 2026 season? We’ll just have to wait and find out.

Amari Cooper

Throughout his career, Cooper was viewed as a WR1 with the then-Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, but he was inconsistent and not known for dominating the passing attack.

Sure, Cooper made five Pro Bowls in his career, but he didn’t have that many consistent 1,000-yard seasons.

Cooper was known to disappear in big moments that would’ve been game-changers and notoriously dropped passes.

Cooper was overvalued in trades, as many questioned whether he was a top-tier alpha receiver when he was traded to the Cowboys. 

Even when Cooper became an NFL free agent, he still showed signs of concern, as many labeled him as an overrated option, with his name exceeding his actual performance value.

In Cooper’s final season with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, he was a shell of his former self, catching 44 receptions for 547 yards and scoring four touchdowns with both teams.

Cooper retired on September 4, 2025 (the start of the 2025 regular season) after playing in the NFL for 10 seasons.  

Kyle Pitts

When Kyle Pitts was drafted in 2021, he was expected to be the Falcons’ next great tight end.

While Pitts did have a 1,000-yard season in 2021, his numbers after that have been very inconsistent, as he failed to replicate that success in the following years.

Pitts hasn’t scored many touchdowns in his career, so far, as he has only 15 touchdowns, and has had poor separation.

People thought Kirk Cousins would help elevate Pitts’ game to the next level when he joined the Falcons in 2024, but as we mentioned earlier, Cousins was pretty average during his tenure with the team.

Pitts has also dealt with poor coaching that uses his talent incorrectly, because he can flourish in the proper offensive system, as it wasn’t seen in the Falcons in recent years.

Can Kevin Stefanski get the best of Pitts? We’ll just have to find out when the upcoming regular season kicks off.

The Falcons signed Pitts to a franchise tag for the 2026 season, as he likely has one more shot to make things work in Atlanta before another team signs him and utilizes him in a better offense. 

Deebo Samuel

Samuel is a sneaky good slot receiver who saw success with the San Francisco 49ers at times, as he helped the franchise reach Super Bowl LIV and LVIII, even though the team lost both of those games to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Unfortunately, Samuel produced one 1,000-yard season back in 2021, signed a three-year, $73.5 million contract, showed some inconsistencies in his performance, and was traded to the Washington Commanders in 2025, where he and the team didn’t make much of an impact.

Samuel has dealt with injuries throughout his career and missed time during consecutive seasons.

Samuel’s rushing efficiency dipped off a cliff in 2024 to 3.1 compared to 6.2 in 2023, showing a serious reduction in his rushing.

On top of that, when Christian McCaffrey joined the 49ers, the team started to rely on him slightly more than Samuel.  

Samuel is currently a free agent, but an NFL team needing a slot receiver will sign him and hopefully see him rebound in the 2026 season and shed the overrated label. 

Kyler Murray

When Kyler Murray was drafted in 2019, the Arizona Cardinals thought they found their true long-term franchise signal caller.

Murray did show promise for the Red Birds, leading them to the playoffs in the 2021 season, and was paid a five-year, $230.5 million extension with the team, but he immediately regressed after that one season.

Murray has faced inconsistencies with his on-field performance, lack of playoff success, and injuries that have rocked his career.

He also didn’t make good decisions on the field, as he had trouble going through reads, high sack rates, despite low pressure, and poor body language.

Murray recently signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings and will compete for the starting job against J. J. McCarthy before the start of the 2026 season. 

Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. took the NFL by storm with his iconic one-handed catch in primetime against the Dallas Cowboys during his rookie season, but regressed ever since that moment.

Sure, OBJ made three Pro Bowls during his time in the league, but he’s dealt with injuries, like torn ACLs, which have hampered his career.

OBJ had five 1,000-yard seasons in the league, as he failed to reach over 1,100 yards in any season after the 2018 season.  

OBJ also dealt with on and off-field antics, like kicking the kicking net, and proposing to the net after a 2016 game against the Baltimore Ravens, and the infamous yacht picture days before the Giants’ Wildcard game against the Green Bay Packers, which they lost.

In 2021, he was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams, where he helped them reach Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he suffered a torn ACL in the game, even though the Rams went on to win.

When OBJ signed with the Miami Dolphins for the 2024 season, it was really depressing to see him as a shell of his former self, as he played in nine games, catching nine receptions for 55 yards and not scoring any touchdowns. 

OBJ hasn’t retired from the league yet and is still looking to play in the 2026 season. However, a lot of teams have moved on to other younger and more talented wideouts like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba, to name a few.

We would love to see OBJ sign with a contender and try to earn one more Super Bowl ring, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens. 

Joey Bosa

Bosa is talented as a defensive end, as he has made five Pro Bowls so far in his career, and was the forced fumbles leader with the Buffalo Bills in 2025.

Unfortunately, Bosa has missed significant time with nagging injuries throughout his career, appearing in a fraction of games, making him a high-risk part-time player. 

Bosa has failed to reach double-digit sacks since the 2021 season, and his pressure rate has dropped.

Bosa was one of the highest-paid defenders in the league by the 2020 season, but he has struggled to maintain his performance in key games.

On top of that, Bosa has had a lack of impact in recent games compared to other more elite defensive ends like Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, Will Anderson Jr., Micah Parsons, and Aidan Hutchinson, to name a few. 

Bosa is still currently a free agent, but a team that’ll need a defensive end will likely sign Bosa before or during the 2026 season. 

Trevor Lawrence

The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Lawrence with the expectation of him being a “generational” talent for the franchise.

Sure, he made the 2022 Pro Bowl and led the Jaguars to the playoffs twice so far in his career, but he’s been very inconsistent, often delivering mediocre results.

Lawrence has struggled with consistency and turnover issues throughout his career, as he threw a league-high 17 interceptions in his rookie year.

After Lawrence signed a five-year, $275-million extension in the 2024 offseason, he struggled and dealt with a torn AC joint and a concussion after getting brutally hit by Azeez Al-Shaair.

Lawrence improved in the 2025 season, throwing for over 4,000 yards and throwing 29 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, as he led the Jaguars to first place in the AFC South.

However, Lawrence has also struggled under pressure, as he was sacked 41 times in the 2025 season. Lawrence has had a history of making poor decisions under pressure and panicking when the pocket collapses. That has to improve in the 2026 season.

Will Lawrence continue to improve upon his 2025 season? We’ll just have to wait and see what Lawrence does with the Jaguars in the 2026 season.

Tremaine Edmunds

Edmunds is labeled as overrated due to his high-salaried contract and not delivering on his on-field impact.

Edmunds’ tackle numbers are solid, but he doesn’t make enough game-altering plays like sacks or forced fumbles that will change the outcome of a game.

He made two Pro Bowls in his career, but they were back in 2019 and 2020, and scored the league’s only safety in the 2019 season. He hasn’t had a double-digit sack season at all since he entered the NFL. 

Critics have gone after Edmunds for his inconsistent run-game performance, as he has failed to fill in gaps and shed blocks.

Edmunds earned a 66.4 grade from Pro Football Focus after the 2025 season (34th out of 88 linebackers), which is not great, due to his low sack numbers, but could’ve been worse.

Edmunds recently signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the New York Giants, as he’ll join a defense with Abdul Carter, but will he improve his sack numbers with “the G-Men”? We’ll have to wait and find out during the 2026 regular season.

Jadeveon Clowney

Clowney is considered an overrated NFL player, as his professional career never matched his collegiate days with the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he had a ton of hype for how elite he was going after opposing offenses.

Many people say the hype started after Clowney tackled Michigan running back Vincent Smith, knocking his helmet off in the fourth quarter of the 2013 Outback Bowl. The Gamecocks went on to win the game 33-28.

Clowney did make three Pro Bowls during his time with the Houston Texans, but he has been bouncing around the league for a while now.

He had stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, and, most recently, the Dallas Cowboys. 

Like Joey Bosa, Clowney is inconsistent when it comes to getting sacks, as he hasn’t had a season with nine sacks since 2023. 

Clowney has also lacked intensity and fails to dominate opposing blockers, which is disappointing because he was electrifying with the South Carolina Gamecocks, as we mentioned earlier.

Clowney did have 8.5 sacks in the 2025 season, but the Cowboys’ defense was a mess under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Injuries have impacted Clowney’s career, as he has dealt with injuries throughout his professional career. He had a torn meniscus in his rookie year, had knee surgery after the 2017 season, and had a knee injury in the 2020 season with the Titans.

Clowney is also a free agent so far, and a team needing a defensive end will likely sign him before the start of or during the 2026 regular season.