15 Greatest NFL Players Of All-Time That You Won’t Believe NEVER Played In The Playoffs Prime Time Sports USA is a leading destination for sports enthusiasts, athletes, and fans across the nation. Dedicated to delivering high-quality sports apparel, gear, and
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Whether you’re looking to elevate your game, support your favorite team, or simply embrace an active lifestyle, Prime Time Sports USA ensures you’re always ready for your prime time.every all-time great gets the Hollywood ending. In fact, some of the league's best players of all time, pro bowlers, all pros, even Hall of Famers, spent their entire careers without a single postseason snap. Yeah, that's right. Nothing at all about January football. Great season after great season. But nothing changed when the playoffs came around. These are guys who bulldozed the opposition, rewrote record books, and still ended their careers with one haunting stat. Zero playoffs appearances. Heck, not even a first round loss to show for all their troubles. So, let's take a look back at the 15 greatest NFL players of all time that you won't believe never played in the playoffs. [Music] Archie Manning, QB. Archie Manning's NFL career is a study and perseverance despite adversity. the patriarch of the legendary Manning family was drafted second overall in 1971 and immediately became the face of the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately for the young at the time signal collar, his opportunity
came at a time when the franchise was having trouble finding its footing. And uh well, that's putting it lightly. Despite his talent, the Saints lackluster rosters and organizational instability made team success an impossibility. Manning's individual skill did show up from time to time, earning him Pro Bowl selections in 1978 and 1979, but he never made the playoffs in his entire career. Fortunately for him, his legacy extends well beyond his own career, as he laid the foundation for a football
through his sons, Payton and Eli, dynasty. LB Dick Buttkiss Dick Buttkiss epitomized the ferocity and intensity of linebacker play. There's a reason he's one of the most legendary NFLers in the lexicon today. And uh it isn't just the iconic name. But Kiss was selected third #NFL #GreatestNFLPlayers #NFLLegends #FootballHistory #NFFPlayoffs #UnbelievableStats #SportsHighlights #GridironGreats #LegendaryPlayers #NeverInThePlayoffs #FootballFacts #NFLTrivia #SportsDocumentary #Underra
00:00Every all-time great gets the Hollywood ending.
00:03In fact, some of the league's best players of all time, pro bowlers, all pros, even Hall of Famers,
00:10spend their entire careers without a single postseason snap.
00:14Yeah, that's right. Nothing at all about January football.
00:18Great season after great season.
00:20But nothing changed when the playoffs came around.
00:23These are guys who bulldozed the opposition, rewrote record books,
00:27and still end their careers with one haunting stat.
00:30Zero playoffs, appearances, heck, not even a first-round loss to show for all their troubles.
00:37So, let's take a look back at the 15 greatest NFL players of all time
00:42that you won't believe never played in the playoffs.
00:45Music Archie Manning, QB, Archie Manning's NFL career is a study and perseverance despite adversity.
00:53The patriarch of the legendary Manning family, was drafted second overall in 1971
00:58and immediately became the face of the New Orleans Saints.
01:03Unfortunately for the young at the time signal caller, his opportunity came at a time when the franchise was having trouble finding its footing.
01:11And, oh well, that's putting it lightly.
01:14Despite his talent, the Saints' lackluster rosters and organizational instability made team success an impossibility.
01:22Manning's individual skill did show up from time to time, earning in Pro Bowl selections in 1978 and 1979.
01:30But he never made the playoffs in his entire career.
01:33Fortunately for him, his legacy extends well beyond his own career, as he laid the foundation for football.
01:40Through his sons, Peyton and Eli dynasty, LB Dick, Butkus Dick, Butkus epitomized the ferocity and intensity of linebacker play.
01:49There's a reason he's one of the most legendary NFLers in the lexicon today.
01:54And it isn't just the iconic name.
01:57But Kiss was selected third overall in the 1965 draft by the Chicago Bears and quickly established himself as a defensive force.
02:05His accolades include multiple all-pro selections and Pro Bowl appearances.
02:09Additionally, he was a member of a few respectable Bears squads.
02:14Yet, this 156 was a time before the wildcard expansion, when reaching the postseason was much more difficult.
02:23One of his best chances actually came in his rookie season, when Chicago went 9-5, just narrowly missed a berth.
02:31When all was said and done, Butkus went down as one of the most influential defensive players that the game had ever seen.
02:39However, not only did the team never win a Lombardi trophy, but they also never qualified for the postseason.
02:46LB Teo Spikes Teckwo Spikes' career is marked by consistently high standards in his position.
02:52Over the course of 15 seasons and 219 games, the most by any player without a payoff appearance, Spikes produced standout performances for a number of teams, including the Bengals, Bills, and finally the 49ers.
03:06And unfortunate timing from a team perspective is a common theme throughout this list.
03:12What made the scenario, although more bizarre and more painful for Spikes, is that multiple times his teams made the playoffs shortly after his departure.
03:20In any case, Spikes was a great player and one of the most reliable defenders in his generation, posting 8 100 tackle seasons and 29 sacks and 19 interceptions on top of his two Pro Bowl selections.
03:34Nambi Asamoah CB, for a time and admittedly brief time, Asamoah was one of the NFL's most feared quarterbacks in the game.
03:42During his time at the Oakland Raiders, he used his lengthy frame to establish himself as one of the top cover corners in the game and the kind of quarterback that quarterbacks had to avoid like the plague.
03:54In a three-year span following his 8-interception 2007 campaign, in which he made two first-team All-Pro teams in a three-season span, Osama saw opposing quarterbacks target him under 150 times.
04:07A preposterous mark, yes. But upon further review, part of the equation was the fact that the lowly Raiders were often trailing in games, allowing the opposition to lean more on their rushing game.
04:18This became evident once he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a part of the now infamous Dream Team, where everything his career included went off the rails in short.
04:27In order, order, post-retirement, Osamaah successfully transitioned into acting and filmmaking, but while there's no rewriting the history of his career, and he will forever be remembered as one of the best players to never step foot on the field for a postseason game, Floyd Little R.B. drafted 6th overall in 1967.
04:47Lew became the franchise's first true star, earning the nickname The Franchise for his role in stabilizing and legitimizing the Broncos during a turbulent time in team history.
04:59Little was more than just a Mile High City icon. No, he was a robust star across the league. In fact, he was a single-season NFL rushing leader in 1971.
05:11He made five Pro Bowls and finished with over 6,000 rushing yards, an era where defenses were stacked and passing was basically optional.
05:20Denver, on the other hand, was breaking down while Lew was making tackles.
05:25During his tenure, the team did not have a player who could compete with him consistently, and they did not have a single season with nine wins or more.
05:34His only contact with January football was...
05:37In 1973, when the Broncos stumbled to a 75 and finished after teasing fans of a legitimate AFC Westbid.
05:45Nonetheless, Little's greatness could not be denied.
05:49His patience, leadership, and production paved the way for Denver's future success, even if he never got to actually enjoy himself.
05:56The Hall of Fame eventually came calling in 2010.
06:00Long overdue recognition for one of the game's most overlooked stars, Gerald McCoy, DT.
06:06Gerald McCoy was everything you want from a franchise cornerstone, except lucky, taken third, overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay.
06:17McCoy spent nine years as a heartbeat of Bucs' defensive line.
06:20He was a disruptor, a technician, and a locker room leader, earning six Pro Bowl nods and three All-Pro honors during his prime.
06:28McCoy played through regime changes, quarterback carousel spins, and one rebuild after another.
06:34His Bucs never cracked the playoffs.
06:37And when the team finally turned the corner in 2020, he was already long gone.
06:42Cut the year prior and briefly bounced in between Carolina and Las Vegas before ultimately retiring in another city, another team.
06:51McCoy might have been playing deep into January.
06:53But instead, he walked away with a resume full of accolades in the playoff column left blank.
06:59Brandon Marshall, W.R., the 6'5", 230-pound pass catcher, was drafted in the fourth round in 2006 and made an instant impact at the Denver Broncos, catching passes from Jay Cutler.
07:13He had back-to-back seasons with 100 catches, including a 2009 game with an NFL record of 21 catches.
07:21But because of his erratic personality, he bounced to Miami, to Chicago, to New York, where he racked up continual individual success,
07:29racking up 1,200-yard seasons before different franchises, but zero postseason appearances.
07:36His timing was just brutal.
07:38He left the Bears before they made a push to the playoffs.
07:40The Jets imploded after attending six near-miss with them on the squad.
07:44And both the Seahawks and Saints cut in midseason before reaching the playoffs.
07:49By most measures, Marshall was unquestionably a top-tier receiver, but history will always 6'36".
07:55Footnote, that career was zero in the playoff column, especially one where the guy was chased out of multiple successful locker rooms.
08:03QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick in many ways.
08:06Ryan Fitzpatrick's NFL career reads more like a novel than a sports bio.
08:10The Harvard grad and seventh-round pick became one of the league's most beloved journeymen,
08:16not just because of the beard or the clothes he wore to the press conference,
08:20but also because of his brave Yolo ball style, which made him a cult hero.
08:24He carved up defenses in Buffalo, lit up in Tampa, and nearly led the Jets to the postseason in 2015,
08:40only to suffer a Week 17 meltdown during which he threw three four-quarter picks in a win in scenario.
08:46And unfortunately, that was the closest that he ever got.
08:50Joe Thomas O.T.
08:51It's possible that Joe Thomas is the best offensive lineman of his generation,
08:57and he did it all inside the NFL's most dysfunctional franchise, the final 734.
09:03Overall pick in 2007.
09:06Thomas spent his entire 11-year career in Cleveland,
09:09anchoring offensive line through coaching, chaos, quarterback disasters, and a decade-plus of losing.
09:14Individually, he was flawless.
09:17Ten straight Pro Bowls, six first-team All-Pro selections,
09:21one of the most technically sound tackles the league has ever seen.
09:24But the Browns could not capitalize on that generational talent.
09:28During Thomas' career, they only had one winning season,
09:32a 10-6 record in 2007, which saw them just barely miss the playoffs.
09:378-0-2, missing a postseason berth due to the tiebreaker.
09:41Gale Sears RB in 1965.
09:44Gale Sears exploded onto the NFL scene like a meteor.
09:48As a rookie, he scored 22 total touchdowns, including six in a single game.
09:54Still tied for the most in league history,
09:57his mix of vision, speed, and elusiveness made him untouchable at his peak.
10:01He was Barry Sanders before Barry Sanders.
10:03Unfortunately, his career was also one of the biggest what-ifs in NFL history.
10:09A.K.A. What if he could have just stayed healthy?
10:12Sears played just seven seasons, only four of them being fully healthy.
10:16And despite sharing a field with legends like the aforementioned Dick Buckus,
10:21the Bears were never quite good enough to break through.
10:24Sears made a Hall of Fame with under 5,000 rushing yards,
10:27a testament to just how dominant he was in such a short span.
10:31Still, it is hard not to wonder what kind of postseason magic he could have produced if he had had the chance.
10:38Eric Hill, LB, drafted 10th overall by the Phoenix Cardinals in 1989.
10:44Hill stepped into a leadership role almost immediately,
10:48was tough, smart, and built for the middle of the defense,
10:52captaining the Cardinals for the better part.
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