5 NFL players who never recovered from a serious injury

The NFL, America's most-watched sport, is the most brutal league in the world. It requires a lot from its athletes. It's no shock, then, that NFL fans have seen the careers of some of their favorite players end in an instant, following an on-field injury.

Each year, there are numerous knee injuries, repetitive motion pains, and ankle, quad, hamstring, and groin strains. The most common football injuries, while incredibly painful, don't threaten a player's ability to get back on the field.

Sadly, each season there is the chance that one or more players might suffer injuries that are severe enough to threaten their careers, if not their lives. What happens in a split second can change the entire trajectory of the injured player's life.

Here are five NFL players who never recovered from a serious injury:

#5 Dennis Byrd

Cincinnati Bengals v New York Jets

On Nov. 29, 1992, Byrd slammed headfirst into his New York Jets teammate Scott Mersereau's chest while they were playing against the Kansas City Chiefs. The collision broke his fifth cervical vertebrae and left him unable to walk.

After extensive physical therapy, Byrd began walking again, but could no longer play professionally. His number was retired by New York in an on-field ceremony in 2012 at MetLife Stadium.

Sadly enough, his life also ended in a freak accident. On October 15, 2016, while driving a 2004 Hummer H2, Byrd was struck by a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene due to the severity of his injuries.

#4 Leonard Weaver

Leonard Weaver was the one tackled in his career-ending injury Derek Stingley Jr. holding the jersey of his late grandfather Darryl Stingley Mandatory Credit: WCVB

Former Philadelphia Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver's NFL career ended on a tackle from a Green Bay Packers defender. This happened on the first carry of the 2010 season, right after he had signed a three-year deal to become one of the wealthiest players at his position.

Weaver tore his ACL. He angled for a comeback in the years that followed, but was never able to get to a point where he could take hits to the lower half of his body.

He retired in 2013.

#3 Darryl Stingley

AFC Wild Card Playoffs - New England Patriots v Buffalo Bills

Stingley was hit head-on by Oakland Raiders safety Jack Tatum, who led with his helmet. This move by Tatum became one of the early causes for the NFL's emphasis on clean tackling in the modern era.

New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley’s career was over on the spot. Worse yet, he was never able to walk again. He died in 2007, but his legacy lives on with his grandson Derek Stingley Jr., who was just selected third overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.

#2 Johnny Knox

Johnny Knox saw his career end with a fractured vertabrae

On December 18, 2011, former Chicago Bears receiver Johnny Knox collided with Seattle Seahawks defensive end Anthony Hargrove. Knox suffered a fractured vertebrae as a result.

Fortunately, he was able to walk. Sadly, his hopes of playing in the league dissipated over time.

Nerve damage from that career-ending hit continues to plague him.

#1 Joe Theismann

Joe Theismann's career ended in the most notorious of ways

No injury will ever resonate with the NFL audience quite like Lawrence Taylor's career-ending hit on Joe Theismann. Taylor's knee rammed into Theismann's lower right leg while Harry Carson and Gary Reasons also converged on the former Washington quarterback.

Theismann's lower leg bones were broken midway between his knee and his ankle. The compound fracture of the tibia and fibula led to insufficient bone growth during his recovery. He was left with his right leg being shorter than his left. This forced him to retire at the age of 36.

Theismann reminisced about the injury during a 2005 interview with the New York Times:

"The pain was unbelievable. It snapped like a breadstick. It sounded like two muzzled gunshots off my left shoulder. Pow, pow! It was at that point, I also found out what a magnificent machine the human body is. Almost immediately, from the knee down, all the feeling was gone in my right leg. The endorphins had kicked in, and I was not in pain."

The Super Bowl XVII champion and 1983 NFL MVP had to walk off into the sunset following a brilliant NFL career. Luckily, he didn't hold a grudge against Taylor. The two have been golf buddies ever since.

Theismann has gone on to have a solid broadcast career. He even made TV/movie appearances in B.J. and the Bear (1981), Cannonball Run II (1984), and The Man from Left Field (1993).