Welcome to This Week in NFL History! Every week, the Research team will spotlight the anniversaries of notable events and birthdays.
March 7
- Peyton Manning announces retirement in 2016
- 14-time Pro Bowl selection
- 7-time All-Pro
- 5-time MVP (Most in NFL history)
- 2-time Super Bowl Champion (XLI & 50 in final season)
- Retired as the all-time leader in pass yards (71,940) and pass TD (539)
Notable Birthdays: HOF Franco Harris (72) & HOF Lynn Swann
March 8
- Calvin Johnson announced his retirement as he said, “I have made the difficult decision to retire from the Lions and pro football. I have played my last game of football.” in 2016
- 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrine (1st-Ballot)
- Set NFL single-season record 1,964 receiving yards in 2012 (Only player in NFL history to reach 1,900+ receiving yards in a season)
- Named to NFL 2010s All-Decade Team (3-time first team All-Pro)
- Heisman & National Champion QB Cam Newton impressed at Auburn’s Pro Day in 2011
- 125 NFL officials (5 head coaches) at the 5.5 hour event
- Newton stood on his Combine numbers and only participated in position drills
- Drafted 1st overall in 2011 NFL Draft by CAR
- 2015 AP NFL MVP, 2011 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2015 1st-Team All-Pro, 3-time Pro Bowl selection
- 70 rush TD are the most all-time by a QB (HOF Steve Young is 2nd with 43)
Notable Birthdays: K Jason Elam (52) & WR Hines Ward (46)
March 9
- DE J.J. Watt stood on his Combine numbers and only participated in position drills at Wisconsin’s Pro Day in 2011
- 31 NFL teams had at least one representative present at the Pro Day (all but Bengals) & HOU drafted him 11th overall in 2011
- 5-time All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowl selection, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
- 3-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (T-most in NFL history w/ HOF Lawrence Taylor & LAR DT Aaron Donald)
- 101.0 career sacks since are the 2nd-most in the NFL since 2011
- Signed a 2-year, $31M deal with ARI on March 1, 2021
Notable Birthdays: PIT RB Najee Harris (24)
March 10
Notable Birthdays: HOF Clyde “Bulldog” Turner, HOF Ron Mix (84), HOF Curley Culp (76), HOF Rod Woodson (57) & LAC QB Justin Herbert (24)
March 11
- Owners adopted limited use of instant replay as an officiating aid in 1986
- Used to challenge/review plays of possession (fumbles, receptions and muffs); those involving the sidelines, goal lines, end lines, and line of scrimmage; and cases of more than 11 players on the field for a given team
- QB Jalen Hurts & WR CeeDee Lamb headlined an Oklahoma Pro Day that was attended by personnel from 30 NFL teams in 2020
- NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noted that “arm talent is not an issue for Hurts” while Lamb “looked the part while catching throws”
- Both players were drafted in the first 2 rounds: Lamb 17th overall to the Cowboys, and Hurts 53rd overall to the Eagles
Notable Birthdays: TE Greg Olsen (37)
March 12
- The Chargers traded 2 players (WR Eric Metcalf & LB Patrick Sapp) & 3 draft picks (1998 #3 overall, 1998 2nd-Round & 1999 1st-Round) to move up to 2nd overall in the 1998 NFL Draft (Would select QB Ryan Leaf)
- Leaf played 21 games in 3 seasons as a member of the Chargers (4-14 W-L, 12 pass TD & 29 INT as SD starter)
- WR Tee Higgins did not participate in the Combine & instead completed athletic testing and positional drills at Clemson’s Pro Day in 2020
- Clocked a 4.54 40-yard dash & a disappointing 31.0-inch vertical jump
- 7th WR selected in the 2020 Draft (33rd overall pick)
Notable Birthdays: LB Matt Millen (64), NE LB Dont’a Hightower (32), KC WR Mecole Hardman (24)
March 13
- The Eagles signed free agent (eventual SB LII MVP) QB Nick Foles in 2017
- Led Eagles to only Super Bowl win in franchise history after becoming starter in Week 15, 2017 following Carson Wentz’s torn ACL
- Foles in SB LII vs Patriots: 373 pass yards, 3 pass TD, 1 INT; 1 rec TD (Only player to have 1+ pass TD & 1+ rec TD in a single Super Bowl, Foles had a 1-yard rec TD on “Philly Special”)
- The NFL owners voted to allow the transfer of the Chicago Cardinals to St. Louis in 1960
- 186-202-14 in 28 seasons in St. Louis from 1960-1987 (18th in NFL)
- Washington traded 4 picks (3 firsts & 1 second) to move up 4 spots from 6th overall to 2nd overall in the 2012 NFL Draft (Would select QB Robert Griffin III)
- 2012 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Released after 3 seasons (2012-2014); missed 10 games due to injuries in 2013 & 2014
- After opting not to participate in testing at the NFL Combine, HOF Randy Moss turned heads at Marshall’s Pro Day in 1998
- According to then-Marshall Head Coach Bob Pruett, Moss ran a hand-timed 4.24 “into the wind” in the 40-yard dash & leapt 47 inches in the vertical jump (which would be higher than any player since official Combine data began being tracked in 2003)
- Moss fell to 21st overall in the Draft, where he was drafted by the Vikings, before embarking on his HOF career (15,292 rec yards are 4th-most in NFL history & 156 rec TD are 2nd-most in NFL history)
- After not participating in the 2019 NFL Combine, Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray also declined to compete in any of the testing drills at the school’s Pro Day in 2019
- Did throw 70 passes in a session littered with NFL personnel
- Though the Cardinals were one of the few teams not to have any coaches or scouts in attendance, they still took the QB 1st overall in the 2019 NFL Draft
- 2019 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year & 2021 Pro Bowl selection
Notable Birthdays: HOF George McAfee