It has become less common in recent NFL history that star players stick around the teams that drafted them for their entire careers. The Steelers still pride themselves on keeping the top talent around for the length of their playing days. That has not always been the case, especially now as players are always getting the highest number in contract negotiations.
In the past, when a player moved on to another club, it was big news. Looking back on history people normally visualize certain star players in specific team uniforms. They are often forgotten when they move on to their new club at the time, but that situation still happens. Not everyone has a perfect career where they play for one team, but some stand out more than others.
O.J. Simpson played his last couple of seasons with the San Francisco 49ers
Everyone knows O.J. Simpson for his more infamous notoriety in past decades, but before that, he was a star football player. Both in college and the NFL, he had a Hall of Fame career that he would only tarnish. This article does not focus on those acts and will only look into the other club that he played for before his career ended.
Simpson would be traded from the Buffalo Bills to the San Francisco 49ers (his hometown team) in 1978 for four draft picks, all high to mid-round selections over the 1978 and 1979 drafts. Simpson would not amount to much with the 49ers and would only play there for two seasons. He wasn't terrible but he missed a lot of time. He will always be remembered as a Bills player than a 49er.
Franco Harris left the Steelers to go west and join the Seattle Seahawks
It is still hard to imagine that someone like Franco Harris would wear any other jersey than the Steelers. He was such a big part of the '70s dynasty and made one of the most iconic plays in NFL history. He is only one of three players currently to have their number officially retired by the black and gold franchise. The number of retired jerseys will likely increase.
Harris was a smart running back who was able to keep his body in shape and withstand a long NFL career that saw plenty of success. He was able to put up great numbers and help his team win four Super Bowls in the '70s dynasty. No one ever expected him to leave, but that officially happened when he joined the Seattle Seahawks in 1984.
Perhaps the worst thing was that Harris went through all the trouble of uprooting his life in Pittsburgh just to play a limited number of games for Seattle. He only totaled 170 rushing yards for the Seahawks during that lone year on the West Coast. His best days were in the Steel City where he belonged.
It will always be weird seeing those photos of Harris in the Seahawks uniforms as a constant reminder of him leaving town. Because of a contract issue between the black and gold and Harris, he felt that he could do better elsewhere. He took a better opportunity in Seattle, but it was not greener on the other side of the fence for him. He would retire after that lone season in Seattle.
Reggie White came out of retirement to apply some hope for the Panthers
Reggie White is regarded as one of the best defensive players to ever play in the NFL. He has an unusual path to the NFL after starting in the USFL before its eventual demise in 1985. He would sign with the Philadelphia Eagles where he would become a legend. One thing was missing during his time with the Eagles, a championship.
White would join the Green Bay Packers later in his career with dreams of getting a ring. It was a shocker to the NFL world after they got used to him being a dominant Eagles player who was seen as the face of the franchise during different portions of his career. He would win a ring with the Packers, but the biggest change in his career came after he retired.
He would miss the entire 1999 season and that hunger to play the game of football returned. He would sign with the Carolina Panthers for the 2000 season where he was not able to accomplish much. It was a shocking announcement at the time as White had been away from the NFL for a year and the Panthers were not a great team.
He owned property near the Charlotte area at the time and that seemed to be a top reason as to why he wanted to join the team. For his standards, the one-year return out of retirement was not the best outcome for him. He only had five and a half sacks for the Panthers, and no one remembers White in a Carolina uniform. White would have been better off staying retired.
Johnny Unitas is a Pittsburgh legend that finished his career in California
Some might even forget that the Steelers drafted Johnny Unitas in the ninth round of the 1955 NFL Draft. That is when the team was still the laughingstock of the league, and they continued that by not even giving Unitas a shot in training camp. They would cut him and watch him go to the Baltimore Colts and have a Hall of Fame career.
He was the top quarterback of his era at the time and the Colts were one of the best teams during his stint there. Unitas was with the Baltimore club for about 16 years before they decided to move in different directions. That marriage ended after a very successful run of three NFL Championships and a Super Bowl that stacked their history books.
Why trade a Hall of Fame quarterback who helped lead your team to many successful seasons? Well, injuries started to become a significant factor behind the reasoning for the Colts to move on. Age was another concern as Unitas seemed to be affected by that too. He would be traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1973 which was contractually complicated.
Unitas hesitated to even report to San Diego before he got a two-year contract from the club. He would only play one season for the Chargers. He would be the starter to begin the year but was quickly replaced by Dan Fouts after only four starts. He was an old player at that time who saw better days. It is odd to think about Unitas wearing any other uniform other than the Colts, but he did.
Jerry Rice never wanted to end his NFL career and tried to keep going
Many know that Jerry Rice did not finish his playing days in a San Francisco jersey. He played for two different clubs for the last four years of his career before he officially announced his retirement. Father Time is undefeated, but Rice surely gave him a run for his money when it came to the high level of play that he produced at his older age.
The 49ers decided to cut Rice after they sought the ability to get cap space and focus on rebuilding their club. Terrell Owens had also emerged, and they wanted him to be the uncontested top receiver for the team. Rice would not have to move far as he would sign with the Oakland Raiders, which kept him in the Bay Area for another three and a half years.
He was still a monster for the Raiders, which saw him tally over 1,000 receiving yards in two out of the three-and-a-half seasons there. He was posting big numbers from the age of 38 to 40 years old there. That is unheard of in today's NFL. Rice was able to produce great numbers at an age that is rarely seen a receiver reach in his playing days.
Eventually, that age did catch up to him and Rice would be traded four weeks into the 2004 season to the Seattle Seahawks for a late round pick. Sadly, for Rice, age was just too much of a hurdle that was impossible to overcome. Rice will always be famous in San Francisco, but he did have a good career in Oakland and a short stint in an uncomfortable Seahawks stay.
Mike Ditka is known as a Bear but he finished his career with two other clubs
Mike Ditka grew up in Pittsburgh and even attended the University that calls it home. After that, he would be drafted by the Chicago Bears where he would make a legendary career both as a player and a coach. His playing career saw him win an NFL Championship and a Super Bowl during his 11 years of Hall of Fame production through the 60s and early 70s.
His coaching career was great too as he was able to have one of the best teams throughout the 80s and win a Super Bowl with the Bears. Another change of scenery happened with him after he and the Bears departed again, and he joined the New Orleans Saints. That stint only lasted a couple of years and did not work out.
His playing days are more accurate to this article and most know him as the Bears legend and is synonymous with that franchise. He played just as much of his NFL career as a player outside the Chicago organization compared to in it. He would join the Philadelphia Eagles first via trade and be there for a couple of seasons. He was not a great fit there and would be moved again in 1969.
Ditka was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, and it rejuvenated his career. He was never the same player that he was with the Bears, but he was able to be a nice piece to help that Dallas club stay competitive. Ditka even won a Super Bowl a couple of years before he officially announced his retirement from the game of football.
LaDainian Tomlinson wanted a ring but could not find it outside San Diego
Everyone remembers LaDainian Tomlinson as a San Diego Charger. He might have been their most iconic player to ever don their uniform. Now the Chargers call LA home, but before that, they had one of the most explosive offenses led behind Tomlinson and Phillip Rivers throughout the 2000s. Despite that success, there was not much else to celebrate.
He was able to tally Hall of Fame numbers for himself and the club won games in the regular season, but the same issues reared its ugly head. The constant failures in the postseason are what really caused Tomlinson to look at all avenues once he became a free agent. He took a hard look at his options as he searched for the best chance at a Super Bowl.
He landed in New York with the Jets as he seemed like a good fit to balance a good rushing attack with a strong defense. His first season with the Jets was one of his best compared to the final three seasons before he retired. His dream seemed to finally begin to materialize to reach the Super Bowl as he went into the AFC championship game against the Steelers.
There was no happy ending there as Pittsburgh was able to defeat the Jets and Tomlinson would retire after the following season. He never made it to the Super Bowl, but he had one of the best careers for an NFL back. It is weird seeing him in a Jets jersey with the type of numbers and history that he made in San Diego.
Mike Webster is a Steelers legend who decided to finish his career elsewhere
Many now know the sad story of Mike Webster long after his playing days were over, but many forget how dominant he was as a starting center in the NFL. The Steelers took him in the fifth round of their historically loaded 1974 NFL Draft class. He would go on to have a long 17-year career in the league and produce a Hall of Fame level.
Webster was a keystone piece for the Steelers offensive line during their dominant dynasty during the 70s. He was a leader and a well-respected teammate. He played for Pittsburgh from 1974 through the 1988 season. That was 14 years of football that settled a center in the trenches that was the best the franchise has ever seen.
By the time the 1989 season rolled around, the black and gold seemed content with moving into a younger direction. Webster was a free agent and allowed to sign anywhere in the NFL. He would sign with the Kansas City Chiefs. They envisioned him as an offensive line coach when they brought him in, but he became their starting center.
He would start there for a season and a half before he officially announced his retirement from playing football. Webster was not the same type of player by the time he got to the Chiefs, but his legendary name was noticeable on for that franchise. It's hard to see him in anything other than a Steelers uniform, but he did suit up in red for Kansas City before retiring.
Emmitt Smith just looked out of place when he left Dallas for the desert
There are many different legendary players that you could think of when you hear the Dallas Cowboys. Most hate them unless you cheer for the team. One thing you cannot deny was the amount of dominance that they showed during the 90s. It saw the team win three Super Bowls during that time and they had their fair share of playmakers.
Emmitt Smith was one of the best running backs to ever play the game of football. He produced unheard-of numbers during his time with the Cowboys. He spent 12 years in Dallas, and it seemed like they had a chance to win with him on the field. He still holds NFL records to this day that seem nearly impossible to break.
Seeing such a legendary player connected to one team leave and go elsewhere is hard to imagine. That happened here too as Smith was released by the Cowboys under new leadership that wanted to build a younger identity. The aging back would sign with the Arizona Cardinals and play there for a couple years before he retired.
His first year there was tarnished with a shoulder injury before he rebounded the following year. He was able to finish his last year of professional football with over 1,000 total yards on offense for the Cardinals. He showed that he still had some left in the tank, but his best days were in Dallas. The Cardinals stint seemed like a promoter that just needed a name to sell tickets.
Broadway Joe Namath decided to go Hollywood and move from coast to coast
Joe Namath built his name into one of the biggest in football history. He might not have been the best quarterback of all time, but his personality was next level. He grew up outside of Pittsburgh before he became the Broadway icon in New York that football fans know him for nowadays. His personality and play on the field got him into the Hall of Fame.
Considering that he threw 45 more interceptions throughout his career than touchdowns, it is kind of shocking that he made it into the Hall of Fame. Then again, if you look at the things that he did to change the persona of players and the iconic moments he created, it makes sense. He was a high-rolling guy who dressed to impress on the sidelines.
He was also behind the guaranteed win by the Jets over the then-dominant Baltimore Colts. Namath in the green and white colors of New York made sense and it was strange when he was released by New York so he could facilitate a move to Los Angeles and sign with the Rams. He traded in Broadway for Hollywood that year.
His overall health was brought into question, and he was not able to sustain as the Rams starter for long. Namath would start the first four games for LA, but that was it for his career in the NFL. His name was bigger than the quality of performance that he produced on the field. His playing days sputtered out and it seems uncomfortable seeing him in anything other than the Jets green jersey that he made iconic.