Lightning-fast, 28-year-old John Ross III retired from football in July 2023.
He is now attempting to make a comeback. As reported by Deadspin, Ross is participating in the Philadelphia Eagles rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
Ross’s story is an interesting one.
In high school, Ross was a track star and a two-way football player. He was rated as a four-star recruit.
He played three seasons for the Washington Huskies. In his final college season, in 2016, Ross was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the year. He had over one thousand receiving yards and scored 17 touchdowns.
At the NFL Combine, Ross set the record in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.22 seconds. (That record was eclipsed in 2024 by Xavier Worthy, who recorded a time of 4.21 seconds.)
Ross was rated by Sports Illustrated as the second-best wide receiver in the Draft. He was ultimately selected ninth overall in the Draft and bears the dubious distinction of having been selected before Patrick Mahomes.
Here are the first ten players selected in the 2017 NFL Draft:
Ross signed a four-year, $17.1 million contract with the Bengals, and received a $10.6 million signing bonus.
Things did not work out.
In four seasons with Cincinnati, Ross had a total of 51 receptions for slightly over 700 yards. He scored seven touchdowns.
In Ross’s first two seasons with the Bengals, Marvin Lewis was the team’s head coach. Some of the blame for Ross’s disappointing performance was placed on Lewis. Cincy Jungle pointed out that Lewis “treat[ed] rookies like no other NFL head coach.” He was reluctant to play young players.
Blame was also allocated to Ross. He reportedly let his fame, wealth, and status “get to his head.” And, he reportedly did not learn the team’s playbook.
Additionally, Ross was plagued by frequent injuries.
Ross demanded a trade from the Bengals
In 2020, the Bengals declined the fifth-year option on his contract, making him a free agent in 2021.
In March 2021, he signed a one-year $2.5 million deal with the New York Giants. He played in ten games for New York, starting in one. He finished the season with eleven receptions for 224 yards, with one touchdown.
Ross did not play in 2022.
In January 2023, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, but announced his retirement a few months later.
The #Chiefs signed WR John Ross III to a reserve/futures deal, per source.
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Ross is a burner and still only 27 years old. Not eligible for the playoffs, but one more weapon for Patrick Mahomes in 2023.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 9, 2023
Now, Ross will have another opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles to showcase his talent.
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