Looking back at the 1999 NFL season 25 years later

A lot can change in sports in 25 years. All the players have changed, coaches come and go, and the sports landscape looks much different. The NFL is no exception, as a trip down memory lane to 1999 will attest.

The NFL was going through its own changes in 1999. John Elway retired after he led his Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl championships. Another legend (more on that in a moment) retired right before training camp started. The league saw several relocations that ended up with the nation's second-largest market without a team while one of the most beloved franchises was on hiatus for three years. A decade that saw the Cowboys, 49ers, Packers, Broncos, and Bills dominate the Super Bowls (one of those teams appeared in the first nine Super Bowls of the 1990s) ended with new blood in two new NFL cities battle on Super Bowl Sunday.

It wasn't just the end of a decade or a century—it was the dawning of a new millennium. Excitement and some fear surrounded the changing of the calendar. It was a time to look forward to the future while also remembering the past. It was a wild season that ended on one of the most dramatic plays in NFL history.

It's hard to believe it has been 25 years since the strange season that no one saw coming happened. Let's look back at the NFL in 1999-2000.

Kurt Warner comes from nowhere to become MVP (1 of 26)

The 1999 NFL season will forever be known as the "Kurt Warner season." Warner went undrafted in 1994 out of Northern Iowa but had a training camp invite to the Green Bay Packers. After being released, he stocked grocery shelves before playing three seasons with the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers and one with NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals. In 1998, he became the St. Louis Rams' third-string quarterback.

After starting QB Trent Green tore his ACL in the preseason, Warner was elevated to the starting job and never looked back. He threw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns and won the NFL's most unlikeliest MVP award in history.

Warner would go on to a Hall of Fame career, starting three Super Bowls and having his story made into a movie.

St. Louis Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV (2 of 26)

Warner's surprising rise propelled the St. Louis Rams to their first-ever Super Bowl title. The Rams had only been in St. Louis for four years, and each of them was dreadful. The Rams had missed the postseason nine straight seasons and compiled a 45-109 record during that span. While the Rams did boast talented players in Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, and Orlando Pace, nothing much was expected from the Rams in 1999.

Warner was the catalyst for Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz's "Greatest Show of Turf" offense that led the NFL in yards, scoring and touchdowns. The defense was also superb, ranking 4th in yards allowed. The Rams would roll to a 13-3 regular season record, beating the Vikings in a shootout in the Divisional Round and the Buccaneers in a defensive struggle in the NFC Championship game.

The miracle season was completed when the Rams beat the Tennessee Titans, 23-16, in one of the best Super Bowls in memory.

One yard short (3 of 26)

One of the best plays in Super Bowl history was the final one of Super Bowl XXXIV. Down 23-17, the Titans offense was moving in the game's final moments. With the ball on the Rams' 10-yard line and a 1st and goal with six second left and no timeouts, Titans quarterback Steve McNair received the snap for a play that would have tight end Frank Wycheck run a route straight up the field and into the endzone to lure Rams' linebacker Mike Jones away from the middle of the field and allow receiver Kevin Dyson to run a slant, make the catch, and walk into the endzone.

Jones, who was in zone coverage, left Wycheck as Dyson caught the pass and grabbed his legs at the two-and-a-half-yard line. Dyson reached the ball out for the endzone but his shoulder touched the ground, leaving the ball just a yard short. Time ran out and the St. Louis Rams became Super Bowl champions.

The play is still regarded as one of the most clutch plays ... especially defensively ... in Super Bowl history and created one of the greatest championship game endings ever. The play has been know as "The Tackle".

Tennessee ... Titans? (4 of 26)

It may not seem weird now, but in 1999-2000, a Super Bowl meeting between the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans would have seemed absurd. After all, the Rams had just located to St. Louis in 1995 while the Tennessee franchise had gone through its own variety of changes.

The Houston Oilers were an inaugural team from the old AFL and had never reached a Super Bowl. In 1997, the franchise left Houston for Memphis, Tennessee, and became the Tennessee Oilers. The team moved to Nashville the following season and played at Vanderbilt Stadium. In 1999, the team moved to Adelphia Coliseum, its permanent home, and changed its name to the Tennessee Titans.

Like the Rams, the Titans were an unlikely team to reach the Super Bowl. They had missed the playoffs the previous five seasons and had not had a winning record since their tumultuous 1993 season. The '99 team was led by stars Steve McNair and Eddie George who had kept the franchise hopes up as the franchise was going through so much upheaval.

Music City Miracle (5 of 26)

While "The Tackle" was one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history, the Titans were on the right side of one of the greatest plays in the NFL's entire history. Tennessee pulled off one of the most unlikely comebacks in the Titans' home Wildcard Round game against the Buffalo Bills.

Before that play happened, there were some peculiar string of event that led up to the Music City Miracle. The Bills were down 15-13 and driving when Buffalo QB Rob Johnson scrambled for a three-yard game but had his shoe fall off. With no timeouts, Johnson rushed back to the line and threw a pass (while missing a shoe) to Peerless Price for a first down. Since Price dove out of bounds, the clock stopped with 20 seconds remaining.

Instead of running out more clock, the Bills sent out kicker Steve Christie. The decision could have been because Johnson was only wearing one shoe, or that they didn't want to risk a play happening that would run out the clock. Christie nailed a 41-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 16-15 lead with :16 remaining.

As the Bills lined up to kick off, ESPN's Paul McGuire and Joe Theismann suggested that Buffalo shouldn't squib-kick the ball but instead kick it deep. The Bills pooch kicked it, allowing Lorenzo Neal to field the kick at the Titans' 25-yard line. He pitched it back to Frank Wycheck who ran, turned and threw the ball to Kevin Dyson who ran down the sideline for the touchdown. When the play happened live, it looked like Wycheck's pass was forward and even replays make it difficult to tell. ESPN's booth, after calling the play a forward pass, would look at the play and determined it was, indeed, a lateral. The play was upheld by the officials and the Titans won, 22-16.

The aftermath of this game was not just the Titans making a Super Bowl run but also the demise of the Bills. It was the final game in Buffalo for Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas. The Bills would also go 17 years without reaching the playoffs.

Instant replay returns to the NFL (6 of 26)

The Music City Miracle was upheld due to instant replay, something the NFL had just re-instituted that season. The NFL had a mild form of replay from 1986 to 1991 but was scrapped because it took too much time and calls were still being made incorrectly. While gone, replay was discussed when various bad calls were made and fans and teams were upset they couldn't be changed. So in 1999 the league began the replay system that birthed what we have today -- a system that included coaches challenges, a loss of a timeout if unsuccessful, and booth challenges only in the final two minutes of each half. While the system has been tweaked in the 25 years since, it has proven to be a very successful -- albeit imperfect -- system to get most of the major calls correct.

The Music City Miracle was a prime use of the system, as the referees allowed the play to continue and knew that it could be corrected with replay. The refs (under the booth review rule) were able to look at the play and determine that it was legal.

Another "minor" rule is also adopted (7 of 26)

There was another rule change that went into effect in the '99 season, though most people wouldn't have paid much attention to it. The rule was Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. It reads:

" When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble. "

Yes. The Tuck Rule.

Cleveland Browns return to NFL (8 of 26)

The NFL experienced many relocations in the mid-1990s. The Rams left Los Angeles for St. Louis, the Raiders left LA for Oakland, the Oilers left Houston for Tennessee, and the Cleveland Browns left for Baltimore.

The Browns' situation was different because, while the team and organizational structure were leaving, the team and the name stayed behind. The roster went off to Baltimore to become the Ravens in 1996, but the NFL determined a new expansion team would come back to Cleveland in 1999 and would keep the franchise's name and history. So, after a three-year hiatus, the Cleveland Browns returned in 1999.

With owner Art Modell gone and the new Cleveland Browns Stadium replacing the cavernous Municipal Stadium, the new Browns were set to take the field in 1999 with top overall pick Tim Couch at quarterback. The Browns over the last 25 years have struggled to become relevant. They've reached the playoffs just three times and have won just one playoff game (over the rival Steelers in 2020) since coming back.

Bye weeks every week (9 of 26)

The Browns franchise re-forming meant the NFL had 31 teams, which made bye weeks a necessity every week of the regular season. While the NFL had had bye weeks for quite some time, they tried to schedule them during the season to allow teams and players to have a rest week in the middle of the year. Since there was an odd number of teams, every week, at least one team received a bye.

In 1999, the San Diego Chargers had their bye week in Week 1 and then played 16 straight weeks. Conversely, the Cleveland Browns played 16 straight games and saw their bye week in Week 17. This would go on for two more seasons until the expansion Houston Texans entered the league.

Start of season pushed back over Y2K fears (10 of 26)

The bye weeks weren't the only scheduling quirk of 1999. Due to fears that the Y2K virus would wreak havoc on computer systems and flights, the NFL decided to move the start of its season back one week. This was done so that the NFL playoffs wouldn't be compromised due to any problems Y2K could cause and the postseason schedule should be able to continue with no problems. The NFL prepared for two years to get ready for any glitches that could come from the computer virus, even finding ways to sell concessions and game timekeeping in case something went wrong.

This meant the NFL would start Week 1 the Sunday after Labor Day with the final regular season games happening the weekend after the new year (that Sunday was January 2nd). That would make the playoffs start the weekend of the 8th and 9th and continue weekly until the Super Bowl. The off week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl was scrapped so the Super Bowl would still take place in January as it had always been. The NFL ensured all road teams had flown into their game sites by December 31st.

In the 25 years since, the NFL has continued to hold Week 1 the weekend after Labor Day but has since moved the Super Bowl into February.

Jaguars can beat everyone but the Titans (11 of 26)

The Jacksonville Jaguars were in their 5th season of existence but were already a Super Bowl contender. They had been to the playoffs in four of their five seasons and played in the 1996 AFC Championship game. The 1999 Jags were elite, as quarterback Mark Brunell, Jimmy Smith, Keenan McCardell and Fred Taylor led one of the best offenses in the league while the defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL that season.

The Jaguars beat everyone they faced ... except the Tennessee Titans.

Jacksonville went 15-0 against all other opponents but were 0-3 against Tennessee. After winning their first two games of the season, the Jags lost a nail-biter at home to the Titans, 20-19. Jacksonville would win the next 11 games before heading into Nashville in Week 16 where they were spanked by the Titans, 41-14. Jacksonville would beat Cincinnati in the regular season finale and Miami in the divisional round of the playoffs. Tennessee came into town and mauled the Jaguars in the second half of the AFC Championship game, 33-14.

The Jaguars became the first team to ever lose three times to the same opponent with the third game being played at home. Jacksonville's epic start to the history stalled after this game as the Jags missed the playoffs the next five seasons.

Dolphins historic final game (12 of 26)

The season's final game for the Miami Dolphins came on January 15, 2000. Why is that so significant?

For one, it was the AFC Divisional round versus the Jacksonville Jaguars where the Dolphins were victims of one of the worst defeats in NFL history. The Dolphins committed seven turnovers en route to a 62-7 loss to the Jags. Miami was down 41-0 in the second quarter before they were able to score. It remains the most lopsided playoff loss in the Super Bowl era.

The loss was also the final game in the careers of Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson. Johnson, who won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, retired the following day. Marino, who suffered an injury midseason before coming back in Week 12, would retire during the offseason. The injury caused Marino to play poorly over the last half of the season and he was just 11 of 25 for 95 yards, a TD pass, two INTs and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

NFC's final playoff spot has complex tie-breaker (13 of 26)

The final NFC playoff spot may have had the deepest tie-breaker in league history. Going into Week 17, the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers each had a 7-8 record. The Panthers hosted the 3-12 New Orleans Saints at 1pm ET. The Packers hosted the 6-9 Arizona Cardinals ... also at 1pm. The Cowboys also played at home vs. the Giants -- but the game was scheduled for 4pm ET. The Detroit Lions entered the week at 8-7, and were playing at the Minnesota Vikings.

One of the tiebreakers between the Packers and Panthers was point differential. Since both teams were playing simultaneously, both were running up the score against their opponents. The Panthers (who trailed the Packers by 18 points in the differential), blew out the Saints, 45-13. The Packers were on the same page, pummeling the Cardinals, 49-24. The Packers held on to their advantage with a plus-11 point differential. The Lions would lose their fourth straight game, dropping to 8-8, while the Cowboys beat the Giants, 26-18. New York was now 7-9 and eliminated.

So the tiebreakers.

*Division tiebreakers are done first when three or more teams are tied. That applied to the Packers and Lions who split their two regular season matchups and held 4-4 division records. The next tiebreaker went to common opponents. The Lions' 7-5 mark against the Packers 6-6 record meant the Packers were eliminated.

*Of the other three teams, the tie-breakers went down to record within the conference. Since the Cowboys and Lions held 7-5 NFC marks to the Panthers' 6-6, Carolina was eliminated from contention.

*The Cowboys had a better record against common opponents, so they got the 5th seed and the Lions the 6th seed.

Had the Giants beaten the Cowboys, the Lions and Packers would have reached the playoffs, with the Packers getting in due to their point differential.

Three Florida teams make playoffs; no California ones do (14 of 26)

The 1999 season was the second time that all three Florida teams reached the playoffs. The Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC Central Division; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC Central; and the Miami Dolphins earned a wildcard berth. The Jaguars and Buccaneers reached their respective conference championship games before losing to the Titans and Rams, respectively. The Jags beat the Dolphins in the divisional round along the way.

That has happened for the first times two years earlier in 1997. It didn't happen again until the 2022 season.

Meanwhile, California was shut out of the postseason for the first time since 1969. Of course, the Rams had left California for St. Louis in 1995, leaving just the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders (who also left L.A. in 1995). The Niners finished at the bottom of the NFC West with a 4-12 record, while the Chargers and Raiders finished with identical 8-8 records, a game back of the Seahawks for the AFC crown.

In the 25 years since, the Raiders have moved away from California to Las Vegas, Nevada, the Rams moved back to Los Angeles, the Chargers bolted San Diego to share the Rams new stadium in L.A., and the 49ers have moved south in the Bay Area to Santa Clara.

1999 NFL Draft's major trade (15 of 26)

The 1999 NFL Draft is primarily known for two things: three quarterbacks taken with the first three picks for the first time since 1971, and the Ricky Williams trade.

Tim Couch (Browns), Donovan McNabb (Eagles) and Akili Smith (Bengals) were taken with the first three picks of the draft. Five QBs were taken in the first round (Daunte Culpepper and Cade McNown were the others) -- only the 1983 and 2024 drafts had more. Of those quarterbacks, only McNabb reached a Super Bowl and as of now none have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

The only Hall of Famers from this draft are Edgerrin James (the 4th overall pick) and Champ Bailey (7th).

Bailey was part of one of the most notable draft trades in history. New Orleans' head coach Mike Ditka was so infatuated with Texas' Ricky Williams that he was willing to trade the Saints entire draft to move up to get him. Washington made that trade by giving up the 5th overall pick for all of the Saints' 1999 picks (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th round) as well as their 1st and 3rd round picks in 2000. It was the first time ever that a team made just one pick in the draft.

Washington would turn around and trade the 1st (12th overall) and 3rd round picks they gained from the Saints to the Chicago Bears for the 7th overall pick, which they used to draft Bailey. Since the Saints finished 3-13 in 1999, Washington had their pick (2nd overall) in the 2000 draft and selected LaVar Arrington. Ditka was fired after the season and the trade is considered one of the worst in NFL history.

Other notable picks from this draft:

*Patriots drafted Damian Woody with the 17th pick. Woody now is an NFL analyst for ESPN and routinely appears on the morning show "GetUp".

*Another future ESPN analyst was selected in the first round. LSU's Anthony "Booger" McFarland was selected 15th by the Buccaneers.

*Steelers drafted Joey Porter in the 3rd round.

*The Giants drafted tight end and current Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell in the third round.

*The Buccaneers drafted Dexter Jackson in the 4th round. Jackson would become the MVP of Super Bowl XXXVII.

*The Packers selected wide receiver Donald Driver in the 7th round. Driver currently holds the franchise records for receptions and receiving yards.

Barry Sanders retired at the last minute (16 of 26)

The Lions made the playoffs, but they didn't have their best player in franchise history with them. Barry Sanders decided to retire on July 27, 1999, the day before the Lions training camp was to start. He was frustrated by the direction of the franchise -- the Lions were coming off their second 5-11 season in three years -- and he felt that the front office wasn't committed to winning with their roster moves. Sanders was still in peak form -- he was nine yards short of his fifth straight season with 1,500 yards rushing. He has won the NFL's MVP award in 1997 and was less than 1,500 yards away from passing Walter Payton on the all-time rushing list.

Walter Payton passes away (17 of 26)

In February 1999, Walter Payton revealed he was suffering from a rare liver disease and became an avid proponent for organ donor programs (even if his disease was too far along for him to get a donor). Payton died on November 1, 1999 at the age of 46. At the time he was still the NFL's all-time leading rusher (since passed by Emmitt Smith) and he had retired in 1987 with the all-time rushing touchdowns mark as well as the single-game rushing record.  His eight touchdown passes were the second-most ever for a non-quarterback.

Payton is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His name adorns one of the most prestigious awards in sports -- the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award which honors players charitable works during the season.

Derrick Thomas dies after automobile accident (18 of 26)

Kansas City Chiefs star linebacker and Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas was driving to the airport in a snowstorn to catch a flight to St. Louis to see the Rams host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game on January 23, 2000. His SUV went off the interstate Thomas and a passenger who weren't wearing their seat belts were thrown from the vehicle (the passenger died instantly). A second passenger who was wearing his seat belt went uninjured. Thomas survived but was partially paralyzed. Two weeks later he died in a hospital after a blood clot in his leg traveled to his lung.

"Triplets" play their final games for Cowboys (19 of 26)

The "Triplets" were one of the greatest three-man unit in the history of the NFL. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin formed a trio that won three Super Bowl championships over a four year period and all ending up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Irvin was drafted in 1987 and played his entire 12-year career with Dallas. In the fourth game of the 1999 season, Irvin was tackled and his head went into the artificial turf of Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium. He suffered a non-life-threatening spinal injury but was advised that another hit to his neck or head could cause serious damage. He would never play again.

Troy Aikman, drafted in 1989, would also play his entire 12-year career for the Cowboys and would play in the 2000 season. Emmitt Smith was drafted in 1990 and would play 13 years for the Cowboys before finishing his career with the Arizona Cardinals. While both would play beyond the 1999 season, their playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings was the last postseason game for both players. The Dallas Cowboys dynasty ended in 1999.

Steve Young knocked out of the league (20 of 26)

Steve Young's Hall of Fame career ended in Week 3 on Monday Night Football. In a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Young was sacked by safety Aeneas Williams and suffered a concussion, taking him out of the game. It was the second concussion he suffered in the first three weeks of the season and the seventh of his career, which caused him to experience symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. When the season ended, doctors and the 49ers pleaded with Young to hang it up or risk greater damage to him brain. After agonizing with the decision, he ultimately retired on June 12, 2000.

Young was a star in college at BYU before playing his first two professional seasons for the USFL's Los Angeles Express. He would play two years with the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers before be traded to the 49ers to be Joe Montana's backup. Young would take over the starting job in 1992, winning the league's MVP award (he'd win in again in 1994) and leading the Niners to a Super Bowl XXIX championship. He'd win three Super Bowls total and is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Peyton Manning plays his first playoff game (21 of 26)

Peyton Manning was a prodigy when he entered the NFL. The son of Archie Manning, Peyton had an outstanding career at the University of Tennessee and became the first overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. His first season was a dud, leading the Colts to a 3-13 record while throwing 26 TDs and 28 INTs (yes, you read that correctly).

After trading Marshall Faulk to the St. Louis Rams in the offseason, Indianapolis instantly turned around their fortunes, going 13-3 and winning the AFC East. The Colts earned a first round bye but would lose their first playoff game, a 19-16 defeat to the Tennessee Titans. Manning played poorly, completing just 19 of 42 passes for 227 yards and no touchdowns.

He would do alright the rest of his career, winning 14 playoff games, including two Super Bowl titles.

Rams and Colts make one of the best trades in NFL history (22 of 26)

Marshall Faulk was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1994 and spent the first five years of his career as one of the best dual-threat backs in the league. He went to three Pro Bowls as a member of the Colts and when the team drafted Peyton Manning with the top overall pick in 1998, many thought Indianapolis had their backfield set for many years.

That lasted just one season, as the Colts traded Faulk to the St. Louis Rams for a 1999 second and fifth-round pick. Indianapolis used the picks on LB Mike Peterson and DT Brad Scioli, but the deal freed up the team to use the No. 4 overall pick on Miami running back Edgerrin James.

Meanwhile, Faulk was stunned to be dealt to the Rams, who were one of the worst franchises in the league up to that point (Faulk later revealed that he was upset, saying "I left Peyton Manning for you guys?"). After months of negotiating, Faulk got the big contract he'd been wanting and was off to begin his career as a Ram.

As we all know now, this was the ultimate win-win for both franchises. Faulk would go on to be the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 seasons (he would also become the 2000 NFL MVP) and was a key cog for the Super Bowl-winning "Greatest Show of Turf". James would have seven highly productive seasons with the Colts, leaving the team as their all-time rushing leader -- a record he still owns by a wide margin. He left the Colts for the Cardinals in 2006, and Indianapolis went on to win the Super Bowl that year. Both have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As far as the 1999 season went, Faulk was the Offensive Player of the Year and helped the Rams with the Super Bowl. James led the league in rushing yards as a rookie and helped Manning turn the franchise around from a 3-13 team to a 13-3 squad that won the AFC East title.

Andy Reid gets first head coaching job (23 of 26)

Andy Reid had spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Green Bay Packers, working with an developing Brett Favre into an MVP quarterback. In January 1999, he was hired to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles despite having never been a coordinator in the NFL. Reid's hiring was met with some criticism, which only grew louder when he drafted Syracuse's Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 Draft. The 1999 season was unremarkable as the Eagles started off 0-4 before finishing with a 5-11 record.

Reid coached 14 seasons in Philadelphia, winning six NFC East titles, reaching the playoffs nine times, and getting to Super Bowl XXXIX. He was 130-93-1 as the Eagles head coach.

After a disastrous 4-12 season in 2012, Reid left Philly to become the new head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. In 11 years with the Chiefs, Reid has gone 128-51, winning 8 AFC West titles, reaching ten playoffs, making four Super Bowl appearances, and winning three Super Bowl titles.

With Bill Belichick and Pete Caroll not currently coaching, Reid is the lone NFL head coach from 1999, who is still one in 2024.

Jake Plummer was awful (24 of 26)

Jake "The Snake" Plummer was always known as a gunslinger since he entered the NFL out of Arizona State. In his first two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Plummer combined to throw 32 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. While wild, Plummer was a legend in Arizona from his college days and in 1998 he led the Cards to their first playoff victory since 1947.

The 1999 season was really bad, however. Plummer completed just 52.8% of his passes for 2,111 yards, 9 TDs and 24 interceptions. Arizona was just 3-8 in games he started and slogged to a disappointing 6-10 campaign. His high interception totals caused detractors to dub him Jake "The Mistake" Plummer.

His final pass of his career (then with the Denver Broncos) was picked off, giving him 161 TDs and 161 INTs for his career.

Daniel Snyder becomes Washington's owner (25 of 26)

In early 1999, Daniel Snyder bought the Washington franchise for $800M ... which was the largest purchase for a sports team at that time. It seemed to be a great pairing -- Washington ended a six-year playoff drought by winning the NFC East, beating the Lions in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs before losing to the Buccaneers. However, Snyder's tenure as owner of the franchise was mired in controversies on and off the field, making him one of the most hated owners in NFL history.

In Snyder's ownership history (1999 to 2023), Washington won just two playoff games and reached the playoffs just six times while compiling a 164–220–2 record. He ran through eight head coaches (not counting a few interim head coaches along the way) and cycled through yes men in his front office. He ran the stadium into the ground (it was just two years old when he bought it) and was shunned by local politicians and businesses. He helped create a toxic culture within the organization while employing an abrasive management style and was pressured to sell the franchise, now known as the Washington Commanders, in 2023.

1999 superlatives (26 of 26)

Some notes about the 1999 NFL season:

MVP: Kurt Warner (St. Louis)

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Marshall Faulk (St. Louis)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Warren Sapp (Tampa Bay)

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Edgerrin James (Indianapolis)

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jevon Kearse (Tennessee)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Dick Vermeil (St. Louis)

WALTER PAYTON MAN OF THE YEAR: Cris Carter (Minnesota)

PASSING YARDS LEADER: Steve Beurlein, 4,436 yards (Carolina)

PASSING TD LEADER: Kurt Warner, 41 (St. Louis)

RUSHING YARDS LEADER: Edgerrin James, 1,553 (Indianapolis)

RUSHING TD LEADER: Stephen Davis, 17 (Washington)

RECEIVING YARDS LEADER: Marvin Harrison, 1,663 (Indianapolis)

RECEIVING TD LEADER: Cris Carter, 13 (Minnesota)

RECEPTIONS LEADER: Jimmy Smith, 116 (Jacksonville)