College football: Ranking the NFL careers of Heisman Trophy winners 1975-2005
By Nick Villano
Ranking NFL careers of Heisman winners: 23. Chris Weinke, QB, Florida State
Chris Weinke was the first quarterback on this list that got a real shot to be a star and failed. The Carolina Panthers had no choice because Weinke was a full-fledged adult when he was drafted. At 29 years old, he was older than half the league as a rookie. He started 15 games for the Carolina Panthers, and he did pass for more than 2,900 yards. However, the team finished 1-15 and didn’t have much to fall back on.
After his rookie year, the opportunities dried up. That’s what happens when you lose 15 games in a row as a franchise. The Panthers went in another direction, but Weinke stayed on as a backup.
This is after an incredible college career. Weinke got a late start to his career because he tried to make it as a Major League Baseball player. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays the same year he signed a letter of intent with Florida State. This is why he was so much older than all his teammates in college.
In college, he won the Heisman, a National Championship, and has the weird moniker of being the first-ever Heisman winner who wasn’t a first-team All-American. That actually went to Heisman runner up Josh Heupel.
Weinke could have had a completely different career if he just made the decision to play football years earlier. He would have had time to develop as an NFL starter, but he was out of time by the time he made the league. He had one of the strangest contracts for a rookie 4th-round pick, which included 13 pages worth of possible incentives. The Panthers thought he could be something despite taking him so late. However, it just didn’t turn into what the Panthers and Weinke hoped.