The NFL is a cutthroat business, through and through. We have all seen it many times over now… Guy goes out and puts his body on the line for his team, his city—week in and week out.
Then, when push comes to shove and the numbers get in the way or his production starts to wane… bang… the suits swoop in a stab him right in the back—either cutting him or shipping him off to foreign lands.
Okay… A little dramatic, but still, that is how many of the players put their blood, sweat, and tears into it for their squads—only to get blindsided.
Let’s take a look at 10 NFL stars who got absolutely backstabbed by their team!
Who are the top 10 NFL stars that were double-crossed by their beloved teams?
Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago Bears
Aug 4, 2018; Canton, OH, USA; Chicago Bears former linebacker Brian Urlacher (left) and presenter Bob Babich acknowledge the crowd during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Grand Parade on Cleveland Avenue. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears’ relationship with Brian Urlacher should’ve ended with a ceremony at midfield, a roaring Soldier Field crowd, and a Hall of Fame sendoff. Instead? They lowballed him into retirement.
“I wish they would’ve said, ‘Hey, we have this amount of money for you. This is all we can pay you. If you want to play, we want you back. We want you to play for us. This is the situation. We can pay you this.” Urlacher said in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
Instead, they off-handedly shoved a $2 million dollar offer in his face, knowing full well that he had deep roots in the Chicago area and was unlikely to move cities at that point in his career.
Urlacher ultimately decided to retire rather than play under what he took as a disrespectful offer.
Keep in mind… Urlacher was Chicago football. 13 years. 8 Pro Bowls. 1 Defensive Player of the Year award. The dude literally put his body through hell for that franchise. So when his contract was up in 2013, he expected at least some level of respect.
But this is the Chicago Bears we are talking about—and they always seem to find the wrong way to go about things—and, thus, that is how Urlacher’s Hall of Fame career ended—not with a farewell season, not with a proper sendoff—just a backhanded contract offer and a forced retirement.
An unceremonious end to an illustrious career—all of which he stuck with Chicago for… through the good times and, of course, the many bad times.
Steve McNair, QB, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair (9) tries to elude Indianapolis Colts defenders Michael Barber (53) and Bertrand Berry (57) during the AFC Divisional Round playoff game in Indianapolis Jan. 16, 2000.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’sSteve McNair wasn’t just the Titans’ quarterback—he was their leader, their identity, the heart and soul of their NFL team.
He was there when the franchise moved to Tennessee, took them to a Super Bowl, and played through every injury imaginable just to keep them competitive.
And when they decided they were ready to move on, they decided to throw that all out the window and quite literally locked him out of the building—having security guards tell him, rather than an honest conversation from the front office.
That is yesteryear’s version of finding out on social media!
Just some random staffer telling the franchise’s most important player for a decade that the team banned him from working out at their facility because they didn’t want him getting hurt before they could trade him.
No warning. No conversation. Just security guards at the door telling their franchise QB to hit the road.
Imagine giving everything to a team, only for them to treat you like some random practice squad guy. That’s what happened to McNair.
Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks
Nov 9, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) reacts after getting a yellow penalty flag against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Legion of Boom wasn’t built overnight. It took years of talent, chemistry, and sheer dominance to turn the Seahawks’ defense into the terrifying, Super Bowl-winning force that it became—and Richard Sherman was at the center of it—both production and identity-wise.
Sherman was the defining player of Seattle’s golden era—a trash-talking, game-breaking, playmaking machine that gave the Seahawks their edge, but once things got a little tough, Seattle’s front office turned on him without even offering to negotiate a new deal.
And let’s not forget—Sherman had just torn his Achilles. The dude literally destroyed his body for that NFL team, and their response was to kick him out the door before he even got a chance to recover.
To make matters worse, they also chose to let the narrative play out in the media that Sherman was leaving under his own volition… or was unwilling to restructure his deal.
And adding insult to injury, of course, was the reality that they did this largely to acquiesce to Russell Wilson, who had been butting heads with Sherman… among others… in recent years.
Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Jan 24, 1982; Detroit, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana (16) throws the ball behind the blocking of John Ayers (68) and Fred Quinlan (56) against the Cincinnati Bengals during Super Bowl XVI at the Silverdome. The 49ers defeated the Bengals 26-21. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Montana built the 49ers dynasty. Four Super Bowls. Three NFL MVPs. The most clutch quarterback of his generation. Yet, San Fran did the unthinkable and shipped him off to Kansas City.
Yes, Steve Young was waiting in the wings.
Yes, Montana had dealt with injuries. But let’s be real—this wasn’t just about making a football decision. The 49ers wanted a clean break, and they weren’t willing to let Montana go out on his own terms.
Montana took the Chiefs to their first AFC Championship Game in forever, while San Francisco spent the next few years trying to justify a move that never sat right with the fans… at least until Young got over the hump and won a Super Bowl of his own!
But still… After everything that Montana meant to that organization and fan base, it is crazy to think they thought it was okay to stab him in the back like that.
Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Sep 27, 1998; Chicago, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Minnesota Vikings (84) Randy Moss in action against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Photo By USA TODAY Sports © Copyright USA TODAY Sports
Despite all of the noise and narrative around who Randy Moss was as a man and a teammate, particularly early in his career, the notion that he wanted out of Minnesota was a departure from the truth.
Moss was still well in his prime. He was a generational talent. Sure, he had some locker room issues—but nothing that warranted blowing up the relationship. If the team had any real commitment to winning, they would’ve figured it out.
This would be like today’s Vikings decided that Justin Jefferson wasn’t worth the trouble and shipping him out of town against his will.
What made this all the more painful for Vikings fans was that the real reason that then-owner Red McCombs shipped him out of town tied back to ugly business dealings between him and the state of Minnesota.
McCombs allegedly had been in an ugly battle with the local government, demanding public funding for a new stadium. And when he didn’t get what he wanted? He took it out on his own team by shopping Moss behind everyone’s back, subsequently sending him to Oakland, and watching his NFL team crumble without him.
Larry Csonka, RB, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins Larry Csonka at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on December 2, 2018. [ALLEN EYESTONE/The Palm Beach Post] Miami Dolphins Vs Buffalo Bills 1017376088
Larry Csonka left Miami in 1975 for a payday with the Memphis Southmen in the World Football League, followed by an admittedly rough stint with the Giants, but in 1979, Miami’s prodigal son made his way back to the Dolphins on what would now be described as a one-year, “prove it” deal.
And to his credit… prove it he did—rushing for 837 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns—12 on the ground and one receiving tudder to top it off.
It should have been a storybook comeback. The front office should have rewarded him. The fans should have gotten another few years of Csonka running over defenders in a Dolphins jersey.
Instead, owner Joe Robbie lowballed him so hard that it triggered a massive falling out between the two sides.
We’re not talking about a small gap in negotiations. Robbie offered him basically nothing, knowing full well that Csonka’s agent, Ed Keating, who he had reviled, would refuse.
When all was said and done, Csonka ended up choosing retirement over disrespect. And who can blame him?
The real loser in this was the Dolphins fans—and NFL fans at large, who missed out on the twilight years of the bruising back’s career, as Csonka never played another down.
He made it to the Hall of Fame in 1987, but the Dolphins didn’t even retire his jersey until 2002—more than two decades after they ran him out of town.
Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Oct 31, 1999; Indianapolis, IN , USA; FILE PHOTO: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) chased by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis (98) at the RCA Dome. Mandatory Credit: James D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Peyton Manning was the Indianapolis Colts. Four-time MVP. A Super Bowl ring. The guy who turned a laughingstock NFL franchise into a powerhouse.
And the second he got hurt they turned their attention to tanking for his replacement.
Manning’s neck injury in 2011 had the Colts’ front office spooked. Instead of waiting to see if the greatest quarterback in franchise history could get healthy, they saw their chance to grab Andrew Luck and ditch Manning before he even had a chance to prove he was back.
Manning went to Denver, won another MVP, set single-season passing records, and won a Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Colts? They wasted Luck’s career, and their franchise still hasn’t recovered.
If you ask me, that’s their just dessert for such a cold-blooded move to such an important player in the franchise’s history.
Deandre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
Jan 12, 2020; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) against the Kansas City Chiefs in a AFC Divisional Round playoff football game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Long before Hopkins transitioned into the sort of journeyman we know him as today, he was Nuk—one of the best wide receivers in the game and a cornerstone of some otherwise underwhelming Houston Texans offenses.
His relationship with the franchise, however, became to sour when Bill O’Brien came to town and brought his hard nosed, college-esque coaching style to the organization.
And that’s where we learned never to let Bill O’Brien handle roster decisions.
DeAndre Hopkins wasn’t just the best player on the Texans—he was one of the best receivers in the NFL. The guy was a three-time All-Pro, coming off a 1,165-yard season, and still very much in his prime.
Yet, O’Brien shipped him out for essentially nothing… a washed-up David Johnson and a second-round pick.
To add insult to injury, Hopkins found out like the rest of us—on social media.
Just crazy!
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) catches a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first half in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
You can spin the latest news out of the City of Angels however you want… aging star… roster turning over… salary cap hit—and so on, but the fact of the matter is Cooper Kupp deserved better than this.
For anyone who missed it, wide receiver Cooper Kupp released a statement Monday saying he was informed by the Los Angeles Rams that the team is seeking to trade him “immediately.”
Fresh off their painful playoff exit at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles, the Rams informed Kupp that they were actively shopping him, basically saying, “Hey, thanks for memories, but we’re moving on.” No real warning. No negotiation. No graceful exit. Just a one-way ticket out of town.
Now, if we’re being fair, it is, as they say, a business… and the injuries have piled up. Kupp has missed 18 games in the last three NFL seasons, and his production has dipped. But still, this is Cooper freaking Kupp. If anyone deserved to be treated with some dignity, it was him.
And you know Matthew Stafford isn’t happy about this. Those two were inseparable on and off the field. The Rams might be doing what’s best for their books, but as far as backstabs go? This one hurts.
Kupp is still awaiting to learn his fate as the Rams assess the trade market for the former Super Bowl MVP, but the damage has clearly been done to the relationship… both with him and his quarterback Matthew Stafford, who he is extremely close with.
Granted, this decision does make a ton of financial sense for the team—and Kupp does appear to have his best days behind him, but still, the way they have gone about this has been a huge slap in the face to a guy that’s been with the franchise since 2017 and has been a model member of the organization ever since.
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) waves to the fans as he exits the field at MetLife Stadium for possibly the last time in his career. The Eagles defeat the Giants, 34-17, on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in East Rutherford. Nyg Vs Phi
While this one really tied back to a coach trying to save his job… Ben McAdoo—a name that still churns many Giants fans’ stomachs… The Giants’ ownership should’ve done more to insert themselves and protect their longtime quarterback, who also, lest we forget, led them to two Super Bowl championships.
Because if there was one NFL player who should’ve never been benched midseason, it was Eli Manning.
He was a franchise legend… and tough-as-nails for a quarterback. He never complained, no matter how bad his offensive line got.
But that didn’t stop McAdoo from benching him for Geno Smith and snapping his consecutive starts streak.
… yes… GENO. SMITH.
This wasn’t about performance. This was a coach trying to save his job by making a desperate move. Giants ownership should’ve stepped in, but instead, they let McAdoo throw their franchise quarterback under the bus.
