The NFL is the dream destination for every college football player and football fan alike. However, this dream can turn into a nightmare for many elite athletes for a variety of reasons. Injuries take their toll, they enter a period of terrible form, or their new head coach might just not rate them.
Then they have to endure the media dissecting everything that they do. From veteran quarterbacks who suffer a rapid decline, to young guns who experience sophomore syndrome, the possibilities for disaster are huge. Today we’ll take a look at 25 NFL stars who experienced a nightmare year. This article focuses on the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Check out the list below via Yardbreaker.com.
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25. Julian Edelman
With the loss of Tom Brady and several other stars, the Patriots entered a period of transition in 2020. However, Bill Belichick probably expected more from star wide receiver Edelman. The three-time Super Bowl winner is an excellent player and a Patriots legend but the season turned into a nightmare for him. After just six games, he suffered an injury that put him on the sidelines for weeks.
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Unfortunately, Edelman performed at a standard much lower than expected of him up to that point. He only caught 60% of targets and demonstrated a capacity for slippery fingers. This significant drop-off and his time out with injury led to lack of valuable. The Patriots look set to miss the playoffs for only the second time since 2002. The team has failed as a whole, but Edelman needs to take some responsibility as a leader.