The 10 best players since 2000 to miss rookie seasons with injuries

National Football League

Updated Aug. 16, 2024 10:18 a.m. ET

J.J. McCarthy‘s rookie campaign in the NFL came to an end before it began.

McCarthy underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus, which will sideline him for the entire 2024 season. He was set to compete for the Vikings‘ starting quarterback job this year after Minnesota picked him No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft.

Unfortunately for McCarthy, it makes him somewhat of an anomaly among first-round rookie quarterbacks. According to CBS Sports, the Michigan product will become the first QB drafted in the first round in the common draft era (1967-present) to miss his entire rookie season because of injury.

But McCarthy is far from alone in experiencing such a setback. The question is, how will he respond? Here are the best examples from the 21st century of NFL and NBA players who bounced back after sitting out their entire rookie seasons with injuries.

10. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (2021)

It’s interesting to imagine what would have happened if Etienne had played his rookie year. The former standout Clemson running back was the No. 25 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, reuniting him with his college quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was picked 24 spots before him at No. 1 overall. But then-Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer told reporters weeks after Etienne was drafted that the team would use him mainly as a wide receiver in training camp.

That experiment was cut short when Etienne suffered a Lisfranc tear in his foot in a preseason game, sidelining him for the entirety of his rookie season. By the time Etienne was healthy enough to return, new coach Doug Pederson returned the ACC‘s all-time leading rusher to his original position. Etienne took over the Jaguars’ starting running back job during the 2022 season and hasn’t looked back since, topping 1,000 rushing yards in each of the two NFL seasons he’s played.

9. Jaylon Smith, LB, Dallas Cowboys (2016)

Smith is one of the few names on our list whose rookie year absence was caused by an injury that took place before he was drafted. A star linebacker for Notre Dame, Smith tore his ACL and LCL in his left knee in the first quarter of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, which sent his draft stock plunging. But the Cowboys gambled on the elite potential Smith showed before his injury, taking him No. 34 overall at the top of the second round in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Smith sat out the entire 2016 NFL season but had a very effective four-year run from 2017-2020 for the Cowboys, recording more than 80 solo tackles and 120 combined tackles in each of those final three seasons. He made one Pro Bowl in 2019. Smith was cut by the Cowboys in 2021 after being passed up on the depth chart by some guy named Micah Parsons and has since bounced around the league, including stints with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders.

J.J. McCarthy to miss 2024/25 season for the Vikings

8. Chad Greenway, LB, Minnesota Vikings (2006)

Greenway spent 10 years as a stalwart linebacker for the Vikings, reaching two Pro Bowls and recording more than 1,000 career tackles. It’s exactly what Minnesota hoped for when the team selected him No. 17 overall in 2006, but the Vikings had to wait a year to see that potential play out after Greenway tore his ACL in kickoff coverage in his first preseason game. Fans likely hope McCarthy can turn out to be a contributor similar to Greenway.

7. Michael Porter Jr., F, Denver Nuggets (2018-19)

Porter appeared in just three games in his freshman season at Missouri due to ongoing back issues. He had the talent worthy of a No. 1 overall pick, but fell to No. 14 in the 2018 NBA Draft, where he was taken by the Nuggets. Denver eventually ruled him out for his rookie season due to another back surgery. But Porter gradually carved out a high-minute rotation role and later became an essential part of Denver’s offense. In his first full NBA season (2020-21), Porter averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Two years later, he was a starter on the Nuggets’ 2022-23 NBA championship team.

6. Ben Simmons, PG, Philadelphia 76ers (2016)

It’s almost mind-boggling to look back at now, but Simmons’ first NBA injury was initially regarded as a rolled ankle during one of the 76ers’ final training camp scrimmages. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a fractured right foot that was slow to heal, causing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft to miss the entire 2016-17 NBA season.

Simmons’ path since then has been one of the strangest careers to date. He won 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year and helped the 76ers get back to the NBA playoffs, becoming the first rookie to record a postseason triple-double since Magic Johnson. He went on to make three consecutive NBA All-Star teams and first-team All-Defense twice. Things started to unravel, though, in 2021, after a dismal Game 7 performance in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. Simmons eventually requested a trade from the 76ers that offseason and, after a months-long standoff with the team, it was granted in 2022 when he was shipped off to the Brooklyn Nets. Since then, Simmons has missed the vast majority of his games with the Nets due to lingering back issues.

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5. Chet Holmgren, C, Oklahoma City Thunder (2022-23)

This is more of a projection, since Holmgren has played just one season. The No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft suffered a foot injury that delayed his NBA debut until the 2023 season opener. Holmgren then did everything possible to put that lost season behind him. He appeared in every single regular season and playoff game for Oklahoma City in 2023-24, averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while finishing as the Rookie of the Year. Moreover, he played a big role in helping the Thunder claim the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and advance to the conference semifinals.

4. Willis McGahee, RB, Buffalo Bills (2003)

Like Smith, a gruesome injury in the Fiesta Bowl — his final collegiate game — knocked McGahee down from someone regarded as a top-five NFL Draft prospect to someone who became a major injury risk for teams to take on. The Bills became that team, selecting him No. 23 overall in that year’s draft.

McGahee eventually pieced together a decade-long career in the NFL, reaching the Pro Bowl in 2007 with the Baltimore Ravens and 2011 with the Denver Broncos despite continuing to battle injuries. He recorded more than 1,000 rushing yards in four different seasons and 8,474 rushing yards total with 70 touchdowns.

3. Blake Griffin, PF, LA Clippers (2009-10)

The No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Griffin missed his rookie season due to a broken kneecap. He returned a year later and took the NBA by storm.

Griffin averaged 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game and famously dunked over a car in that year’s dunk contest, and went on to win Rookie of the Year honors — of course, he didn’t win Rookie of the Year again the ensuing season. Griffin is one of the best frontcourt players of his generation, a key part of the “Lob City” Clippers that dragged the team from irrelevancy to perennial playoff contenders, and a five-time All-NBA honoree.

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2. Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers (2014-15, 2015-16)

Embiid was in the mix to be the No. 1 pick of the 2014 NBA Draft before suffering a foot injury in the days leading up to the draft, forcing him to miss his rookie season with the 76ers. Embiid then missed his second season, as well, due to the injury.

Embiid finally made his NBA debut in the 2016-17 NBA season and went on to become one of the best players in the sport. The 2022-23 NBA MVP, Embiid is a consensus top-10, if not top-five player who has two scoring titles, three All-Defensive and five All-NBA honors under his belt. The wait was worth it for the 76ers.

1. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (2013)

OK, we’re technically cheating here. Kelce suffered a knee injury in the preseason of his rookie year and sat out the opener. The next week, he played one snap — on special teams! — and then was inactive the next three games. He then underwent microfracture surgery on his knee and missed the rest of the season. It’s all history from there, as Kelce went on to become one of the best tight ends of all time with a fame that transcended football even before he began his relationship with Taylor Swift.

A nine-time Pro Bowler, Kelce recently posted 1,000-plus receiving yards in seven consecutive seasons and has been an indispensable part of the Chiefs’ three Super Bowls over the past five years. Kelce ranks in the top five among tight ends in NFL history in receptions (907), receiving yards (11,328) and receiving touchdowns (74).

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