Ranking the 10 Biggest Fluke Seasons in NFL History

The 2019 NFL season saw its fair share of incredible breakout performances. From second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson winning MVP to sixth-year vet Shaquil Barrett leading the league in sacks, several players appeared to take the next step toward stardom.

However, there is a risk involved with crowning a breakout player as the next big thing. Overnight sensations can quickly become one-year wonders.

While this doesn't feel like the future case for Jackson—who showed plenty of promise as a rookie—or Barrett, such an outcome would not be unprecedented. Here, we'll look back at the 10 biggest fluke seasons in league history.

Each player on this list looked, for one year, to be a budding superstar. Then, for one reason or another, they all fell back to obscurity. We'll rank players based on the flukiness of their big seasons—the level of height reached compared with the rest of their playing careers.

Honorable Mention: Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins, 2012

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Few players have experienced as rapid a descent as former Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. In 2012, he passed for 3,200 yards, rushed for 815 yards, accounted for 27 total touchdowns and threw just five interceptions. Unsurprisingly, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Three years later, he was out of Washington entirely.

The current Baltimore Ravens backup doesn't make the list proper for a couple of reasons, however. For one, he suffered a gruesome knee injury during the 2012 postseason and never was quite as dynamic again. Secondly, Griffin wasn't completely ineffective in his second pro season. He passed for 3,203 yards, rushed for 489 yards and threw 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

A significant decline? Yes. However, Griffin's knee injury makes his 2012 season more of a glimpse into what might have been than a complete fluke.

10. Brandon Lloyd, WR, Denver Broncos, 2010

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Kicking off the list, we have wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. The 11-year veteran was in his eighth year when he experienced one of the most unexpected breakouts in recent history.

Lloyd had previously never produced more than 733 yards in a season. Then, playing with Kyle Orton under center, he exploded to the tune of 77 receptions, 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the only time in his career.

What makes Lloyd's 2010 campaign particularly fascinating is that it accounted for roughly 24 percent his 11-year yardage total (5,989 yards). What places him at the bottom of this list is the fact that he had a couple of good-not-great seasons following it.

Lloyd topped 900 yards in both 2011 and 2012 before dipping to 294 yards in 2014 and retiring a year later.

9. Larry Brown, CB, Dallas Cowboys, 1995

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Cornerback Larry Brown was a serviceable starter for the Dallas Cowboys in the early '90s, but he was not a star. That changed during his breakout season of 1995. That year, Brown stepped out of Deion Sanders' shadow a bit and became one of the most productive corners in the league.

With Sanders limited to just nine games, Brown spent the first half of the season matched up against some of the NFL's top receivers. The result was an impressive six-interception, two-touchdown regular season and legitimate stardom in the playoffs.

In the NFC title game against the Green Bay Packers, Brown picked off league MVP Brett Favre. In Super Bowl XXX, he picked off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell twice and was named Super Bowl MVP for his efforts.

Following Super Bowl XXX, Brown signed a hefty free-agent contract with the Oakland Raiders, though he failed to even come close to the player he was in 1995. He made just one start for the Raiders in two seasons before returning to Dallas for a four-game stint in 1998.

Because Brown was at least a starter before his fluke season, he lands near the bottom of our rankings.

8. Ickey Woods, RB, Cincinnati Bengals, 1988

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Longtime Cincinnati Bengals fans remember the Ickey Shuffle and the man who invented it fondly. Former UNLV back Elbert "Ickey" Woods was a rookie sensation in 1988, racking up 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per carry.

Woods also came up with a catchy end-zone dance that, while tame by today's celebration standards, took the football world by storm.

Unfortunately, Woods would not replicate his rookie success. In 1989, a torn ACL limited Woods to just two games. Once healthy, he was in a timeshare with Harold Green.

After just four seasons, Woods was out of the league entirely.

While Woods did average a solid 4.2 yards per carry in 1990, he logged just 100 career carries following his return from injury. Because injury did play a role in Woods losing his starting job, he's also near the bottom of the list.

7. Marcus Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears, 1999

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The 1999 Chicago Bears were not a particularly memorable team. Coached by Dick Jauron and featuring the trio of Cade McNown, Jim Miller and Shane Matthews, the Bears stumbled to a 6-10 record. The highlight of the season was third-year wideout Marcus Robinson.

The South Carolina product and 1998 NFL Europe MVP had a monster 1,400-yard, nine-touchdown campaign during which he averaged an impressive 16.7 yards per catch.

Robinson would never replicate this success.

While Robinson did average 16.6 yards per reception in 2005 with the Minnesota Vikings, he caught just 31 passes that season. His next-highest single-season yardage total came in 2000, when he had 738 yards and five scores.

Robinson carved out a solid 10-year NFL career, which is why his 1999 season wasn't as flukey as those of others on this list.

6. Patrick Jeffers, WR, Carolina Panthers, 1999

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When former Virginia wideout Patrick Jeffers had his breakout season in 1999, it essentially came out of nowhere. After playing for the Broncos and the Cowboys, Jeffers was on his third team and had just 354 receiving yards in three seasons.

With the Carolina Panthers, Jeffers racked up 63 catches for 1,082 yards and 12 touchdowns. Along with Muhsin Muhammad, he helped forge the first 1,000-yard receiver tandem in Panthers franchise history.

Jeffers also helped quarterback Steve Beuerlein set a franchise record with 4,436 passing yards—a single-season mark that stands to this day.

Unfortunately, Jeffers tore his ACL the following August and was back to being an offensive afterthought in 2001. Jeffers finished his six-year NFL career with just 481 yards and two touchdowns outside of his 1999 season. 

5. Erik Kramer, QB, Chicago Bears, 1995

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When a journeyman quarterback has a breakout performance, it sometimes leads to a fruitful career. Ryan Fitzpatrick is still getting starting gigs because of his ability to perform well in stretches. 

Sometimes, though, a strong campaign is so far out of left field that it's a clear anomaly. Erik Kramer's 1995 season with the Chicago Bears falls into this category.

Kramer was already on his third NFL team in 1995, and he spent the 1988-90 seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. He started 15 games for the Detroit Lions before landing in Chicago, but he had never passed for more than 1,635 yards in a season.

In 1995, Kramer caught fire. The NC State product started all 16 games and threw for 3,838 yards with 29 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.

But from there, he fell just as quickly as he rose. 

Injuries limited Kramer to only four games in 1996, and in 1997, he passed for 3,011 yards but had 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He joined the San Diego Chargers in 1999, but he retired midseason because of a neck injury.

4. Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland Browns, 2007

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The 2007 Cleveland Browns season was strange on several levels.

Opening-day starting quarterback Charlie Frye was benched during the season opener, and rookie first-rounder Brady Quinn didn't start until the regular-season finale. In between, Derek Anderson went from an unknown backup to a Pro Bowler in one of the flukiest seasons ever by a quarterback.

Anderson, whom the Browns claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens in 2005, made three unremarkable starts for Cleveland in 2006. But he exploded upon reclaiming the job in 2007, passing for 3,787 yards with 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions while going 10-5 as a starter.

Anderson was named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2007. By 2008, he had fallen off so badly that fans cheered when he went down with an injury and was replaced by Quinn.

"They were cheering the fact that I was hurt," Anderson said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "They don't like me. That's well-known."

Anderson parlayed his mild success into a starting job with the Arizona Cardinals in 2010 and then spent nearly a decade as a backup in Carolina. But for one brief season, he was a king in Cleveland.

3. Michael Clayton, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004

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As a first-round pick in 2004, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Michael Clayton appeared to be the NFL's next big thing. Playing primarily with quarterback Brian Griese, the former LSU standout peaked right away.

In his inaugural NFL campaign, Clayton racked up 80 catches for 1,193 yards and seven touchdowns. He led all rookies in receiving—a group that included future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.

However, Clayton had knee surgery the following offseason and struggled to produce for the rest of his career. He never again reached 500 receiving yards in a single season.

Clayton landed with the New York Giants in 2010 and was out of the league two years later. He finished his career with 2,955 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, much of which he accumulated as a rookie. 

2. Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns, 2010

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While former Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis isn't atop our list, his 2010 season might be the fluky one that NFL fans remember best.

Hillis wasn't just a star in Cleveland; he was an NFL phenomenon. The 240-pound bruiser racked up 1,177 rushing yards, 477 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns for a disappointing 5-11 Browns team. He even made the cover of Madden 12 via a fan vote.

However, Hillis was only incredible for one full season.

Though he showed promise with the Denver Broncos during his first two NFL seasons—he racked up 343 rushing yards on only 68 carries as a rookie in 2008—he didn't get many opportunities in the Mile High City. After his breakout season in Cleveland, Hillis was again the starter in 2011, but he played in only nine games and totaled just over 700 rushing and receiving yards.

After spending one season with the Kansas City Chiefs and two with the New York Giants, Hillis was out of the league, and he never again even sniffed the 1,000-yard mark.

1. Don Majkowski, Green Bay Packers, 1989

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For most of the 1970s and 1980s, the Packers were irrelevant. They made the playoffs only twice between 1968 and 1992 before Brett Favre helped return them to glory.

But three years before Favre arrived, Packers fans received hope from another quarterback.

In 1989, quarterback Don Majkowski was in his third NFL season. A 10th-round pick out of Virginia, Majkowski had flashed some promise the previous year, passing for 2,119 yards but only nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But for one fleeting season, Majkowski became a star.

During one of the most fluky seasons in sports history, Majkowski threw for a league-high 4,318 yards with 27 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He guided the Packers to their first winning season since 1982, although they ultimately missed the playoffs.

After 1989, Majkowski quickly fell back to earth. He passed for only 1,925 yards in 1990 and 1,362 yards in 1991, and he lost his starting job to Favre in 1992.

Majkowski finished his NFL career with a 66-67 touchdown-to-interception ration and only 12,700 passing yards. Close to half of his career touchdowns and 34 percent of his yardage came in one memorable, out-of-place season.