10 NFL Players Who Didn’t Have Football As Their Main Sport

NFL football players are highly specialized. You can’t advance in professional football without mastering at least some of the craft of the sport down to the smallest detail. However, that doesn’t mean that football was her first love. Given that most professional athletes used to play multiple sports in the amateur (scholastic) ranks, it wouldn’t be a surprise if football wasn’t their primary sport. The NFL sports spectrum is broad. For this article, let’s look at 10 NFL players who didn’t have football as their main sport.

10 NFL Football Transitions: Odell Beckham Jr. from baseball

OBJ has made a name for itself in the NFL. He was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, made three trips to the Pro Bowl, and won the Super Bowl championship with the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 season. While OBJ has had a distinguished NFL career, he also had potential in baseball.

In 2015, OBJ played baseball at a charity event. After proving his skills, OBJ received an offer from the Rockland Boulders to play baseball professionally in the Can-Am League.

Antonio Gates: Boxing

With eight trips to the Pro Bowl and five All-Pro selections, Antonio Gates has had a successful NFL career. While many may think Gates’ first love was basketball since he played college basketball, his first love is actually boxing. Gates grew up in a boxing family. He spent time with his grandfather, the late Henry Hank, who set a professional boxing record of 62-30-4.

After retiring from the NFL, Gates reignited his passion for boxing. He currently acts as a boxing promoter, having started AG Promotions.

Josh Cribbs: Swimming

While other NFL players were starting their amateur careers in football, Josh Cribbs’ attention was focused on swimming. Cribbs has been a competitive swimmer since high school, competing in freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly. Though he never took up swimming, Cribs incorporated the sport into his training regimen, which played a big part in his successful nine-year NFL career.

Julius PeppersBasketball

Julius Peppers didn’t really like football at first. In fact, his first love was basketball. Peppers shone on the hardwood playing for the University of North Carolina. Over two seasons, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

But as we all know, Peppers would eventually choose football. He played 17 seasons in the NFL. He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned six All-Pro selections and amassed nine Pro Bowl appearances.

Bo Jackson: Athletics

Bo Jackson is one of the greatest multi-sport athletes of all time. He has made a name for himself in the NFL and MLB. Jackson is an MLB All-Star Game MVP who also made the Pro Bowl in the NFL. However, his first sport was neither baseball nor football; it was athletics.

In an interview, Jackson revealed that athletics was his first love. Unfortunately, the paychecks he would get from the sport weren’t as big as those in football and baseball.

Golden TateBaseball

Though he has built a 12-year NFL career during which he won a Super Bowl championship, Golden Tate has confessed his first love is baseball. Before deciding to pursue a football career, Tate was drafted out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2007 amateur draft. Three years later, he was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 50th round of the 2010 MLB Draft.

AJ Brown: Baseball

Although AJ Brown fell in love with football, a sport he played for Ole Miss, his first favorite sport was baseball. In 2022, the Eagles wide receiver made no secret of his desire to pick up his baseball bat again.

Back in 2016, Brown was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB draft.

Tony Gonzalez: Basketball

This NFL sports saga is well known. Tony Gonzales thrived in the NFL, at times leading the league in receptions. He also made 10 All-Pro selections and 14 Pro Bowl appearances. However, he will never forget his first love, basketball. In fact, the NFL veteran played for the Miami Heat’s Summer League team in 2002.

Jordan Mailata: Rugby

Before Jordan Mailata played in the NFL, he never played American football. In fact, Mailata played rugby growing up in Australia. Back in his native country, Mailata played in several rugby leagues including the National Rugby League. Although he has no experience in American football, Mailata’s experience in rugby translated well enough to keep him on the Philadelphia Eagles roster.

As the Jacksonville Jaguars’ all-time leading scorer, Josh Scobee has enjoyed his life after the NFL. In fact, he spends much of his free time doing what he loves, which is golf. In 2019, Scobee’s amateur status was restored by the United States Golf Association. NFL players can likely relate to this part of Scobee’s story.