There have been plenty of bad players in the NFL. When it comes to who the worst performer is in NFL history, however, who is the worst of the worst? The answers will vary, of course, but a candidate for the distinction played for our very own Cincinnati Bengals.
That would be former Bengals quarterback Akili Smith, who the organization famously turned down Mike Ditka's offer of all of the New Orleans Saints' draft picks in the 1999 NFL Draft because they were so confident that Smith would be a difference-maker. He was not.
Smith was a one-year wonder in college and did enough to capture the Bengals' attention. Not only did Smith miss a chunk of training camp due to contract disputes but he was an unproven player from the start who immediately made a lot of money and then was expected to help lead the franchise to something great. What transpired was anything but.
Akili Smith could be in consideration for worst NFL player of all-time
Smith appeared in seven games and made four starts as a rookie and while he showed some of the athleticism that made the Bengals brass fall in love with him, the results still weren't there. He finished his rookie season with 805 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 114 yards and a score with his legs.
In Year 2, which was the 2000 season, Smith started the most games in a single season during his career with 11 starts but went 2-9 in those starts. He threw for 1,253 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions and it somehow went even more downhill from there.
Smith spent two more years on the Bengals' roster and started a combined two games in his final two seasons. He threw zero touchdown passes in those final two years but added to his interception total with one more, giving him a final Bengals (and NFL since he never played anywhere else) stat line of 2,212 passing yards, five touchdowns, and 13 picks. Not good.
The Bengals released Smith following the 2002 season and he tried out with the Green Bay Packers in 2003 but failed to make the roster. The same happened for Smith in 2005 when he tried to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster. He did spend time with the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2005 and the Calgary Stampeders in 2007 though he wasn't entirely out of football despite not being in the NFL anymore.
Smith was a comically bad draft pick by the Bengals. It's made worse by the fact that they could have had nine additional picks from Ditka and the Saints but passed up on it for a guy who threw five touchdown passes in four years.
While the Bengals have lucked out with quarterbacks since Smith's departure (Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, and Joe Burrow), the real ones remember Smith and how bad he played during his short stint in Cincinnati. Let's hope Bengals fans never have to experience anything like this ever again.