Philadelphia Eagles: Markus Wheaton joins a rare Philly sports club
What do Frank Gore, Daryl Worley, and Markus Wheaton common? They’re all rare member of the Philadelphia Eagles’ exclusive no-play club.
Breaking news! After spending six seasons in the NFL spread out over four different teams, Markus Wheaton has officially announced his retirement from the game of football at the tender age of 27.
Wait, what? You don’t remember Philadephia Eagles wide receiver, Markus Wheaton?
You don’t recall when the team signed the former Pittsburg Steeler/Chicago Bear to a futures contract back in January of 2018, mere weeks before the team won their first Super Bowl? Or what about his appearances throughout the preseason, where he had no catches on one target in the Eagles fourth preseason game against the New York Jet, and yet somehow found a way to sneak onto the initial 53 man roster over more deserving(ish) names like Jordan Matthews and Kamar Aiken (who?).
Well, you’d be forgiven for that.
Though he was a member of the team for the better part of eight months, Wheaton only appeared in two games as an Eagle, preseason game four against the Jets and Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, and in his only regular-season contest, Wheaton was on the field for exactly one snap, on special teams.
Ouch.
While that snap will now go down as the final snap of his NFL career, it also seals Wheaton’s spot in the annals of Philadelphia sports history in the infamous no-play club, joining legends like Frank Gore, Daryl Worley, and even All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson. This club is typically reserved for players who were almost Eagles, but for some reason had a change of heart or a change of circumstance, but Wheaton’s case is different. Unlike Gore, Worley, Peterson, or Nick Fairley, Wheaton actually played a snap in a regular season game, forever etching his name in the history books, even if it was on special teams.
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This single snap means that Wheaton was here, even if he was waived mere days into his tenure, in a move that all but ending his career in the NFL, and that means something. So Markus, enjoy retirement; even though you didn’t catch a pass or lineup at wide receiver in midnight green, you were, in fact, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, and that’s pretty cool.