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#3 - Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon burst onto the NFL scene after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2012. Gordon's rookie season of 805 receiving yards was followed up by a 2013 season where he led the league in receiving yards, going for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.
His quarterback that year was Brandon Weeden, which made his feat even more impressive.
But this was as good as it got for Gordon. In July 2014, he was arrested for driving while impaired. Then a month later, the NFL suspended him for one year for violating their substance-abuse policy. This suspension would be reduced, but he would only play five games in 2014.
He would miss the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons as he was dealing with another NFL substance-abuse suspension. Gordon would also check himself into rehab during this time, but it was clear his days in the league were numbered.
The Browns traded Gordon to the New England Patriots in 2017. There, he won a Super Bowl ring, despite walking away from football earlier in the year, to focus on his mental health.
Gordon has since spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. But he has never lived up to the potential he displayed in his early days with the Browns.
#2 - Cam Newton
Cam Newton was drafted first-overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL draft, and straight away showed the league he was worthy of that selection.
Newton set an NFL record of 14 rushing touchdowns for a quarterback as a rookie in 2011, on his way to NFL Rookie of the Year honors.
He would make three Pro Bowls, as well as being named league MVP in 2015, as Newton lead the Panthers all the way to Super Bowl 50. There, they were defeated by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Since then, however, Newton hasn't lived up to his potential at all. His powerful running style for a quarterback has seen him take many hits, which have lead to a number of injuries, and he hasn't been the same player since his MVP season.
Newton spent time with the New England Patriots in 2020, before returning to Carolina in 2021. But it was clear that he isn't the same player, going 0-5 in his five starts for the team last year.
#1 - Andrew Luck
Coming out of Stanford, many NFL fans and analysts saw Andrew Luck as the best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning and John Elway. After being taken first-overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Luck displayed his potential from the off.
He set the rookie record for passing yards, and was a four-time Pro Bowler. But Luck announced his retirement in a shock move, at the age of just 29 in 2019.
He cited his injuries as the main reason for retiring, as he was sacked 174 times in just 86 games throughout his career. The Colts did a terrible job protecting Luck. Having missed the entire 2017 season through injury, before winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2018, Luck felt it was the right time to walk away.
"I've been stuck in this process. I haven't been able to live the life I want to live. It's taken the joy out of this game. The only way forward for me is to remove myself from football. This is not an easy decision. It's the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me."
It was clear Luck was on the path to becoming a Pro Football Hall of Famer, having passed for 171 touchdowns, which included him leading the league with 40 in 2014. According to The Ringer, Luck was hit or sacked 352 times throughout his career, which is way too many hits for your franchise quarterback to be taking.
