What if?: Barry Sanders
When Barry Sanders retired after the 1998 season, at the age of 30, it was shocking to fans of the Detroit Lions and NFL fans in general. After 10 seasons in the league, Sanders was putting up unheard of numbers at running back, and was almost guaranteed to become the league’s all-time leading rusher. His 15,269 yards is still the third most ever, despite the shortened career, and his 99.8 yards per game average is second only to the great Jim Brown. The Detroit Lions didn’t win the Super Bowl, but they were consistent playoff contenders during Sanders’ tenure. In 1997, the team went 9-7 and made the playoffs, but the following offseason likely led to Sanders’ decision. Center, and good friend, Kevin Glover was released from the team, which led to hard feelings from the star running back. Also, Charlie Batch took over for Scott Mitchell, signaling a rebuild, something Sanders decided he didn’t want to wind down his career in the middle of. After asking for a trade, which was refus...