Tom Brady, Nick Saban, & More ‘What If’ NFL Moments (2024)

At the end of the day, the NFL is all about wins and losses. That is how success and failure are measured objectively. But that reality doesn’t stop fans from wondering, “What if?”

From blown calls by referees mid-game to boneheaded decisions by teams and players, there is no shortage of league-altering moments to look back on in the NFL.

Throughout its century-long history, countless instances, like a spin at the roulette wheel, could have feasibly gone either way.

Of those many scenarios, which would have the most extensive ripple effects if things had gone a little differently?

1 Cowboys Don't Benefit From Herschel Walker Trade

What if the Dallas Cowboys didn’t trade Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings?

After a stellar collegiate campaign at Georgia, Herschel Walker began his NFL career as an All-Pro running back for the Dallas Cowboys from 1986-1988.

However, in 1989, the Cowboys traded the superstar ball carrier to the Minnesota Vikings in arguably the most lopsided trade in NFL history.

Dallas sent Walker and a few late-round NFL Draft selections for five players, three first-round picks, three second-round picks, and two later picks.

While the players acquired from the Vikings weren’t impact members for the Cowboys, the draft picks accumulated helped pave the way for their 1990s dynasty.

The thought of those legendary Cowboys’ teams without its bell-cow running back and three critical figures on defense calls into question if Dallas would have been as successful without the trade.

One thing is clear: They sold Walker at the right time. He played fairly well for Minnesota but never enough to justify the hefty price.

Following the Walker trade, the Cowboys went on to win three Super Bowls. That one move forever changed the trajectory of the league, and Dallas remains a premier brand.

2 Calvin Johnson Doesn't Retire Early

What if the superstar receiver successfully forced his way out of Detroit and onto a Super Bowl contender?

The Detroit Lions struck gold in the 2007 NFL Draft by selecting Calvin Johnson at No. 2 overall following the Raiders’ ill-fated decision to take quarterback Jamarcus Russell the pick before.

In Motor City, Johnson immediately became one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl nods from 2010-2015.

Still considered at the peak of his powers, Johnson shockingly decided to retire from the NFL at 30, citing a lack of passion due to several losing seasons in Detroit.

However, according to Johnson, he tried to force his way to another team before retiring, and the Lions never entertained this idea, even as he threatened to walk away from the sport.

What if Detroit did right by Johnson and allowed him to chase a Super Bowl title with a legitimate contender?

After the career renaissance Randy Moss witnessed with New England, many NFL fans and analysts pointed to the Patriots as an ideal destination for both sides.

Tom Brady led the team to the Super Bowl in all three years from 2016 to 2018, winning two. If this move came to fruition, it’s easy to imagine Johnson retiring with three Super Bowl rings.

3 Michael Vick Doesn't Get Suspended

What if the former Atlanta Falcons star never got suspended in the middle of his prime?

Michael Vick rose to the scene as a dual-threat quarterback at Virginia Tech. He parlayed an All-American career into becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft.

The Atlanta Falcons traded up for the budding star and sat him for much of year one before turning Vick loose on the league in 2002.

While his stats may not jump off the page in the modern NFL, Vick was a pioneer for dual-threat signal-callers and was a headache for defensive coordinators.

Then, news broke of Vick’s involvement in alleged dog fighting on his property. He would ultimately spend time in prison while also being suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

The Falcons cut ties with Vick before his release from prison, paving the way for the Philadelphia Eagles to offer the quarterback redemption.

Vick won NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2010 — proof that the talent was still present. Although Atlanta found its replacement in Matt Ryan, it still leaves a “what if” feeling.

To this day, Falcons fans still remember his tenure fondly, but many were left wondering if Vick’s presence could have gotten them over the hump in the 2008-2012 stretch.

4 Chicago Bears Draft Patrick Mahomes Over Mitchell Trubisky

What if the three-time Super Bowl champion got drafted to Chicago in the 2017 NFL Draft?

Let's take a stroll back to the 2017 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears held a top-three selection in a quarterback class that analysts considered good but not great.

However, the Bears front office zeroed in on Mitchell Trubisky as the best option and even traded up one spot to secure his talents in Chicago.

As NFL fans know, Trubisky fizzled out in the Windy City, while one quarterback, who had taken eight picks later in that draft, already had three Super Bowl titles on his resume.

Patrick Mahomes, a somewhat polarizing prospect out of Texas Tech, dropped down the board, giving Kansas City a chance to swing a trade to No. 10 overall.

The rest, as they say, is history. But what if the Bears had taken Mahomes instead? Would he have found the same success in Chicago?

Let's face it. As great as Mahomes is, he also inherited the ideal situation.

Andy Reid is an all-time great offensive mind. The Chiefs boasted a playoff roster, and the young Mahomes was able to redshirt in year one behind veteran Alex Smith.

That, along with Mahomes' sheer talent, has transformed the Chiefs into a modern-day dynasty. In Chicago, it would likely have been a much tougher transition period.

As such, there's no guarantee that even Mahomes' heroics could have propelled the Bears, a team that has never had a 4,000-yard passer, to a single Super Bowl, let alone three.

5 Nick Saban Brings Drew Brees to Miami

What if the former Dolphins head coach got his wish by teaming up with Drew Brees in South Beach?

After climbing the college football mountain as a national championship-winning head coach, Nick Saban left LSU for a crack at the NFL.

Saban narrowly missed a playoff berth in his debut campaign with the Miami Dolphins, but he hoped adding free agent quarterback Drew Brees would be the final piece.

Alas, Saban didn't get his way, with Miami opting to trade for Daunte Culpepper rather than sign Brees — a move Saban says ruined his relationship with the front office.

So I decided right then when that happened that we don't have a quarterback in the NFL; we're not going to win. I'm getting out of here. I'm not staying here.

Instead, Brees began a Hall of Fame career with the New Orleans Saints, while Saban's dominant defense was squandered by an aimless offense, finishing 6-10 in 2006.

Saban left the franchise soon after, taking the head coaching position at Alabama and returning the school to its previous glory.

But what if Saban had gotten his way? The Dolphins were a fringe playoff roster, and a steady hand at quarterback could have been all they needed to challenge for a Super Bowl.

Instead, Miami has only one division crown since Saban left, and it was a revolving door of quarterbacks while Brees shredded the league for the entire decade of 2010.

6 Chargers Call Eli Manning's Bluff

What if the Bolts didn't trade Manning to the New York Giants during the 2004 NFL Draft?

Eli Manning was the consensus No. 1 overall quarterback heading into the 2004 NFL Draft, and the quarterback-needy Chargers were atop the board.

It appeared to be a perfect match on paper, but Manning's camp told the Bolts he wouldn't play for them, forcing San Diego into a trade down the board.

The Chargers ultimately ended up with three additional draft picks and Philip Rivers after accommodating Manning's request and trading him to the Giants.

While Chargers fans grew to love Rivers, he consistently fell short of bringing a Super Bowl to the franchise. All the while, Manning won two rings in New York.

What if the franchise called the bluff? In a conference that ran through Tom Brady, perhaps Manning, who won both his Super Bowls at Brady's expense, could have slowed down the Patriots dynasty.

Manning's cool and calm demeanor during crunch time would have been a massive advantage for a Chargers squad that never handled clutch situations well.

7 Drew Bledsoe Doesn't Lose Job to Tom Brady

What if Bledsoe avoided major injury in 2001 and led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl?

Drew Bledsoe was the No. 1 overall selection in the 1993 NFL Draft and was the Patriots starting quarterback from 1993-2001.

He led the NFL in passing yards in year two, earned three Pro Bowl nods, and even took New England to Super Bowl XXXI in a losing effort.

That success led to a record ten-year, $103 million deal in March 2001. However, only six months later, Bledsoe nearly lost his life on the football field.

Little-known sixth-round pick Tom Brady took the QB1 mantle, won that year's Super Bowl with the Patriots and never gave up the job again.

In the offseason, New England traded Bledsoe and his record contract to divisional rival Buffalo. Miraculously, he would play the next four seasons without missing a game.

Knowing Bledsoe eventually rebounded, there's an alternate reality in which he was never injured and the Patriots stuck by their high-priced veteran.

In doing so, New England would still have been in a position to win the Super Bowls that Brady won, given Bledsoe's steady play following his departure.

As for Brady, his unlikely rise to NFL legend status would have, at minimum, been severely delayed. Or potentially not happen at all.

Bill Belichick would have no reason to pull Bledsoe without the injury, and Brady would have been forced to play elsewhere.

That one injury set the table for the next two decades of the NFL. It's a true turning point in football history.

8 49ers Select Aaron Rodgers Over Alex Smith

What if San Francisco kept Rodgers in California at the 2005 NFL Draft?

In the 2005 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers owned the No. 1 overall pick and were hunting for a franchise quarterback.

Some draft analysts tabbed California native Aaron Rodgers as the ideal choice. He had even grown up a Niners fan. Immediately after the draft, Rodgers was asked about the disappointment of not being drafted by his favorite childhood team.

Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn't draft me.

However, once the commissioner announced the pick, Rodgers remained in the green room as Alex Smith became San Francisco's new centerpiece.

Infamously, Rodgers tumbled down the draft board until the Green Bay Packers ended the youngster's embarrassing night.

Smith never lived up to his billing, thanks to a mix of injuries and underwhelming play. An elite roster around him constantly propelled the average-at-best signal-caller.

As for Rodgers, he became a four-time NFL MVP with the Packers and one of the best quarterbacks ever.

If the Niners had taken Rodgers, San Francisco would have been a juggernaut on the same level as the fabled Patriots dynasty.

Rodgers won his sole Super Bowl ring in 2010, and given the Niners' roster that season, the MVP-caliber passer could have made the difference.

In the three years following, San Francisco made the NFC Championship Game every season, including a crushing Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

While I didn't predict the Niners would win four Super Bowls in a row, with Rodgers in tow, it's easy to see a path toward multiple rings during that span.

Likewise, Rodgers aged remarkably and still was one of the best players in the NFL up until his Achilles injury in the 2023 season opener.

Rodgers and Brady never met in the postseason, but if the Niners made the right choice in 2005, I envision some Super Bowl showdowns.

9 John Elway Agrees to Play for the Baltimore Colts

What if the generational quarterback prospect didn't force his way to the Denver Broncos?

Like the Eli Manning-Chargers draft day fiasco, John Elway threatened to play Major League Baseball if the Baltimore Colts selected him in the 1983 NFL Draft.

Although the Colts tried to sway the Stanford star, Elway brushed those efforts aside and remained steadfast in his stance to reporters during the draft.

As I stand here right now, I'm playing baseball.

Robert Irsay obliged the request after finding a deal with the Denver Broncos, netting the Colts a blue-chip offensive lineman and a future first-round pick.

Only a year later, the Colts relocated to Indianapolis, while Elway went on to win the NFL MVP in only his fourth season. He also won two Super Bowl titles later in his career.

But what if the Colts kept Elway? That would lead to one of two very different paths from what fans saw in the 1980s and 90s.

Either Elway would make good on his threat and become an MLB player for the New York Yankees. With his impressive amateur background, it's feasible he would have found success.

Or Elway would suit up for the Colts and potentially keep the franchise from ever leaving its Baltimore roots.

Regardless of the path, the NFL landscape would look completely different if we erased Elway's time with the Broncos from history.

10 Browns Stick With Baker Mayfield in 2022 NFL Offseason

What if Cleveland kept Mayfield and didn't trade for Deshaun Watson?

The final "what if" possibility is also the most recent example.

Baker Mayfield arrived in Cleveland as the highly-anticipated No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

The former Heisman winner had a promising rookie campaign before leading the Browns to the postseason in year three—the team's first berth since 2002.

Everything was on the up and up heading into Mayfield's fourth season, but a lingering shoulder injury would negatively impact his play throughout the year.

As such, Cleveland limped to an 8-9 record, and to the surprise of some, Mayfield never played another snap for the franchise.

Instead, the Browns traded Mayfield away, and in the same offseason, the team acquired disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson from Houston.

Watson faced indefinite suspension from off-the-field allegations at the time of the trade, but that didn't stop the team from inking him to a deal for more than $200 million.

As for Mayfield, he couldn't find his footing in 2022 with Carolina or Los Angeles, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers allowed him to compete for the QB1 spot the following season.

Mayfield won the gig, earned a Pro Bowl nod, and even helped Tampa Bay host a playoff game by winning the NFC South.

The Browns, to their credit, also qualified for the playoffs, but they did so in spite of the quarterback position — not because of it.

Removing Watson's lucrative deal and tumultuous play and dropping the 2023 version of Mayfield on the Browns' roster makes Cleveland infinitely scarier.

Not to mention, the front office traded three premium first-round draft picks in exchange for Watson, which could have been a few more elite pieces to the roster.

Hindsight is 20/20, to be sure, but unless Watson returns to form and leads the Browns to a championship, Mayfield fans will always wonder, "What if?"

All stats are courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.