Five Professional Athletes Who 'Resurrected' Their Careers
Grab a second helping of ham and relive some sports career resurrections.
Happy Easter, everyone!
I hope you all are enjoying some deviled eggs and praising the Lord, who was resurrected on this day (more or less) roughly 2000 years ago.
Speaking of which, it got me thinking about athletes who have resurrected their careers.
Whether it was a bad injury or personal demons, these five athletes were as good as done for before a second wind brought them back to prominence.
So, grab a second helping of ham and another roll, sit back, relax, and relive some sports career resurrections.
5. Kurt Warner (Football)
READ: Kurt Warner Describes Full-Circle Nature Of Son’s Debut
Kurt Warner was a man who knew all about beating the odds even before he was given a second chance in the NFL.
An undrafted prospect from little-known University of Northern Iowa, Warner would have to make ends meet stocking shelves at a grocery store before cutting his teeth in the Arena Football League.
Once he was given a chance with the Rams, he seized his opportunity and never looked back, leading The Greatest Show on Turf to a Super Bowl win in 2000 in between two MVP seasons.
Injuries and inconsistent play led to Warner being released by the Rams, and after a lackluster few years with the New York Giants, it appeared as though Warner's days in the sun were done for.
Remarkably, the Arizona Cardinals took a chance on Warner, however, and he was able to lead a franchise that was practically allergic to playoff success to a Super Bowl appearance, which they nearly won if not for the heroics of Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes.
It's not often a quarterback makes a Pro Bowl and a Super Bowl appearance nearly a decade after his previous ones, which is what makes Warner's career resurgence so remarkable.
4. Justin Verlander (Baseball)
READ: Notoriously Superstitious Astros Pitcher Justin Verlander Breaks Down His Pregame Meal
Just Verlander was a flamethrowing ace for the Detroit Tigers, and experienced a ton of success with the club who drafted and developed him.
He won a Cy Young, pitched a couple of no-hitters, and even made a World Series appearance in 2012, but when his velocity started to dip ever so slightly and the injuries started popping up as he got older, it looked like Verlander would be destined for a slow decline somewhere else.
But when the Houston Astros swooped in and took Verlander off Detroit's hands, he experienced a career renaissance that only elite pitchers really have.
Verlander was magical in Space City, winning two World Series, two more Cy Youngs, and a Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 just for good measure.
Most pitchers dip in production in their mid to late 30s, but Verlander was able to have a second borderline Hall of Fame run while in Houston.
3. Alex Smith (Football)
When he was drafted number one overall by the San Francisco Giants in 2005, Alex Smith was believed to be the next big thing at quarterback.
Inconsistent play marked his early years in the Bay Area, but he started to figure things out under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
After losing his job to Collin Kaepernick, Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he experienced the bulk of his career success, including three Pro Bowl selections.
He lost his job again, this time to Patrick Mahomes and his story could have ended here, but he was picked up by the Washington Redskins, which would prove to be devastating for Smith.
In a 2018 game against the Houston Texans, Smith incurred a devastating tibia fracture that nearly caused him to lose his leg.
It was widely believed he would never walk again without pain, let alone play football at a high level, but Smith defied all the odds when he suited up and played for Washington in 2020.
Smith would win Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts, and although he never reached the heights he achieved in Kansas City, the fact he was able to throw a pass again in the NFL is a testament to his resolve and determination.
2. Josh Hamilton (Baseball)
Josh Hamilton was a can't-miss, five-tool prospect coming out of high school, which is why the Tampa Bay Devil Rays used their first overall pick to draft him.
He toiled away in the minor leagues for a few years, but drugs and alcohol abuse made it so that Hamilton was out of baseball for years.
He was able to clean up his act and even make it to the Majors for the Cincinnati Reds, which alone would have been a success story, but it doesn't end there.
2008 saw Hamilton break out in a massive way, as he made his first All-Star team with the Texas Rangers and put on a prodigious display in the Home Run Derby at old Yankee Stadium.
From that point on, Hamilton was a perennial All-Star in Texas and even helped the franchise make back-to-back World Series appearances for the first time in their existence.
Though he ran into some legal troubles after his baseball career ended, including being charged with felony injury to a child, Hamilton's ability to play baseball at an extremely high level while battling personal demons is extraordinary.
1. Peyton Manning (Football)
READ: Peyton Manning Steals The Show During Concert, Shows Off Electric Pipes Singing Classic Song
Throughout much of the 2000s, it could be argued that Colts signal caller Peyton Manning was, at worst, the second-best quarterback in the league.
He put up some of the most absurd seasons in NFL history, some that may never be topped, en route to four MVP awards and a Super Bowl victory in 2006.
In 2011, though, it was discovered that Manning's declining velocity was the result of a neck injury that would require surgery.
Though he was cut by Indy and picked up by the Broncos, few believed he would ever be able to return to his MVP form from the 2000s.
Manning proved everyone wrong in the Mile High City by defying the odds and winning the 2012 Comeback Player of the Year and an MVP in 2013 with Denver.
He even made it back to the Super Bowl twice, winning it all in his final season as an NFL quarterback and riding off into the sunset.
When I think of career resurrections, Manning is the archetype, and he deserves the top spot on this list.