Before rushing for over 2,000 yards in a single season, Terrell Davis was preparing to give up on the NFL altogether. For the Denver Broncos legend, that particular moment in his career came before he even played a single NFL game, while he was preparing for a practice game against the San Francisco 49ers.

“So here I am in training camp. I’m getting no burn,” said Davis on the Club Shay Shay podcast. “I’m eighth, seventh on the depth chart on just the running back depth chart. I’m on no special teams whatsoever. We play the 49ers in Denver. I don’t play at all in that game. So, I’m a sixth-round draft pick. I’m not getting any reps… I am getting my a** whooped in like individual drills. I’m blowing every assignment. I don’t know the plays. Bob T is on my a** the whole damn time. And this is like three days this happens.

“So at the end of the week, I’m freaking exhausted. I know they’re going to cut me. I’m a six-round draft pick. I get no burn. I’m terrible at practice. So I go back to the hotel. I’m like, you know what? I’m getting the hell out of here, man. So, I’m trying to get out of there. I can’t get out. So, I’m like, ‘You know what? Screw this, man. I’m going to go to this game on Saturday.’ And after this, I’m done. I’m quitting. I’m going back to Georgia. I’m going to work for Coca-Cola or something. I’m out of here.”

Ahead of the 1995 season, the Denver Broncos were scheduled to play against the San Francisco 49ers in their second preseason game.

Terrell Davis, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Broncos, was struggling and frustrated with the lack of opportunities in training sessions. He was mentally tapped out and tried quitting. However, fate had other plans, as the running back flipped his mindset.

By the end of his NFL career, Terrell Davis racked up 8,747 rushing yards and 72 touchdowns in 86 career games. Davis’ standout performance came in the 1998 season, where he ran for 2,008 yards (career best) in just 392 attempts, and he also won back-to-back titles in Super Bowl XXXII (1997 season) and Super Bowl XXXIII (1998 season).

So, had he decided to quit his NFL career and work for Coca-Cola back then, Davis would have been stripped of a legendary run.