Defensive end Wadsworth attempting comeback
By
Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
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PHOENIX -- More than six years after
Andre Wadsworth played in his last NFL game, midway through the 2000 season, the former "can't-miss" defensive end prospect is back in the league for one more belated attempt at fulfilling his immense potential.
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Wadsworth
Hoping that he might develop into an outside pass-rush threat from a hybrid position in their 3-4 defense, the
New York Jets have signed the former first-round draft pick whose career was cut short by injuries. ESPN.com first reported in late January that Wadsworth, at age 32, was poised to attempt a comeback and was auditioning for teams.
"It's a chance and that's all I wanted," said Wadsworth, who lives here and has been working out diligently in recent months. "I just wanted an opportunity to do this on my terms and see how it went."
Wadsworth was the third overall player selected in the 1998 draft, by the
Arizona Cardinals, after quarterbacks
Peyton Manning (Indianapolis) and
Ryan Leaf (San Diego), and was widely regarded by talent scouts as the best pure athlete in that year's lottery.
The former Florida State star missed all of training camp in a contract dispute before finally signing a six-year, $42 million deal on the eve of the regular-season opener. Wadsworth played in all 16 games as a rookie, posted 47 tackles and five sacks, and flashed Pro Bowl-caliber potential at times.
And then, in a flurry of knee surgeries and battles with the Arizona front office, his NFL career was over two years later when the Cardinals voided his contract and saved $30 million in total base salaries due Wadsworth between 2001-03. The paltry dividend for the nearly $12 million (including a $10.49 million signing bonus) the Cardinals invested in him: just 36 games, 119 tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles.
In the years since he left the game, Wadsworth has built a successful car dealership here and devoted much of his time to raising his children. He noted that, because of his business interests and investments, his comeback isn't about money. It's believed that his contract with the Jets is for the league minimum base salary.
Wadsworth underwent four knee surgeries between November 1999 and January 2001, including a controversial microfracture procedure. But he has spent the past year getting into shape, has his weight at about 278 pounds, and just wants one more chance at a career he feels was snatched from him.
The Jets, who last week signed former
Chicago Bears first-round defensive end
Michael Haynes, are willing to provide him the chance.
