NFC North one-hit wonders

While some players turn outstanding seasons into lengthy and impressive careers, others simply fade into obscurity. Here are the most notable one-hit wonders for each NFC North team. 

Minnesota Vikings: Sidney Rice

A second-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, Rice had two mediocre seasons with the Vikings before bursting onto the scene in 2009. With Brett Favre rifling passes, Rice had a career year, making his first and only Pro Bowl after snatching 83 of 121 targets for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns. The 23-year-old seemed destined for more growth, setting a record at the time with three touchdown receptions in the divisional playoff. However, a hip injury in the NFC Championship Game derailed Rice's season and career with the Vikings. 

After undergoing offseason surgery, Rice would play only six games in 2010, catching 17 passes for 280 yards before receiving his release from Minnesota. Rice would catch on with the Seattle Seahawks for the next three seasons but averaged only 32 receptions per year before retiring after the 2013 campaign at 27. Rice estimates he suffered between 15-20 concussions over his football life and decided to call it quits as a precaution. While Rice never became a perennial Pro Bowler, he will have a lasting impact on the future of the game, having agreed to donate his brain to medical research following his passing. 

Detroit Lions: Joseph Fauria 

Fauria came out of nowhere as an undrafted free agent in 2013, immediately becoming one of quarterback Matthew Stafford's favorite end-zone targets. While Fauria managed to record only 18 receptions his rookie year, nearly half resulted in scores. Fauria finished second behind Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson (12) for the team lead in touchdowns with seven, including a three-score performance during his first career start in Week 6. At the time, it seemed the Lions had found a diamond in the rough, but Fauria's improbable rise was over as quickly as it started. 

Three weeks into his sophomore season, Fauria suffered a severe ankle injury, changing the trajectory of his NFL career. Fauria initially claimed the injury occurred while chasing down his mischievous puppy but later admitted to being careless during an indoor volleyball game. After missing six weeks, Fauria returned to the lineup for four more games in 2014 but was still bothered by the injury, catching only four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. The Lions released Fauria before the 2015 season, and he never played another snap in the NFL. 

Green Bay Packers: Don Majkowski 

Before Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers solidified their legacies in Green Bay, 1987 10th-round pick Don Majkowski looked primed to join Bart Starr among the Packers greats at quarterback. In 1989, Majkowski led the NFL in completions (353) and passing yards (4,318), earning the nickname "Majik Man" after finishing with a league-best seven game-winning drives. Furthermore, Majkowski lifted the Packers to a 10-6 record, making his first Pro Bowl while finishing second to Hall of Famer Joe Montana in the league MVP voting. While the Packers faithful thought they'd finally found the quarterback to lead them back to prominence, injuries prevented Majkowski from capitalizing on his remarkable 1989 season. 

Following two injury-plagued seasons in 1990 and 1991, Majkowski suffered a torn ligament in his ankle early during the 1992 campaign, giving way to an unproven Favre, who soon skyrocketed to stardom. Majkowski moved on from Green Bay in 1993, starting eight games over the next four seasons for the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions, but never regained the form from his breakout year. Now 59, Majkowski's decade-long NFL career has taken its toll on his body, leading to countless surgeries, including 23 on his ankle alone. However, inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2005, Majkowski doesn't regret paying the price for what he called a "pretty special" run in the NFL. 

Chicago Bears: Rashaan Salaam 

Fresh off winning the Heisman Trophy at Colorado, Salaam went 21st overall to the Bears in the 1995 NFL Draft. Facing high expectations, the 21-year-old impressed immediately, taking the starting role in the Bears' backfield by Week 4. Salaam would record 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns, further exciting Bears fans by closing the season with three straight 100-yard outings. While all signs pointed to a long and storied career for Salaam in Chicago, he would never equal the output of his rookie campaign again. 

Following his remarkable first season in the NFL, Salaam suffered countless injuries that slowed his development. Salaam played 12 games during his sophomore campaign, but knee and hamstring injuries limited him to only 496 yards and three touchdowns. Then, three games into the 1997 season, Salaam broke his right leg, which signaled the end of his career with the Bears. Salaam tried to catch on with the Cleveland Browns in 1999 but carried the ball only once for two yards before hanging up his cleats for good. Sadly, Salaam, who reportedly showed symptoms of traumatic brain injury, took his own life in 2016 at age 42.