Brandon Marshall: Career retrospective

Brandon Marshall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lived there until his family moved to Florida. At Lake Howell High School, Marshall flourished as a three-sport athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and track. A two-star recruit who was surprisingly overlooked by college scouts, Marshall committed to the University of Central Florida (UCF) with a chip on his shoulder.

Marshall entered the halls of UCF with one goal in mind: playing well enough to make it to the NFL. He didn’t see much playing time at wide receiver during his first three years with the UCF Knights. However, Marshall stepped up and played safety for a secondary decimated with injuries. In 2004, he started seven games at safety and led the entire team with 51 tackles.

Marshall delivered in his senior year. He had his best collegiate season with 74 catches for 1,195 yards and 11 touchdowns. The underdog receiver capped off his sensational senior year with an otherworldly performance in the 2005 Hawaii Bowl. He hauled in 11 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-48 loss against Nevada. The hat trick in Hawaii put Marshall on the map.

The Denver Broncos drafted the 6-foot-5, 232-pound wide receiver in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. While Marshall had turned his dream into a reality, he was devastated that he wasn’t drafted in the first round. He strived to prove the doubters wrong. Years after succeeding in the NFL, Marshall read his draft scouting report. The now-irrelevant report is another reminder that anyone can beat the odds and succeed.

Marshall introduced himself to the NFL with 20 catches for 309 yards and two touchdowns. His most notable play was a 71-yard touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks. Marshall built a solid connection with fellow rookie Jay Cutler. The two became close friends and spent six seasons together with the Broncos and Chicago Bears.

It wasn’t long before Marshall became Cutler’s go-to target. He hauled in 102 receptions for 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2007 season. His breakout season ranked him among the top receivers in the league.

Marshall was a beast in 2008. The young talent elevated for 104 receptions, 1,265 yards, and six touchdowns. Marshall earned his first Pro Bowl. He’d go to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl six times throughout his career (2008, '09, '11, '12, '13, '15).

Marshall didn’t skip a beat in 2009. He made his second Pro Bowl and caught 100 receptions or more for the second-straight season. Marshall’s best performance arrived during a Week 14 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Marshall had himself a day, catching a record-breaking 21 receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns. If fans didn’t know who Marshall was, they knew after this game. As of the 2022 NFL season, Marshall still holds the record for most receptions in a game, per Statmuse. This was the best game of his career. 

In April 2010, Marshall was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a stockpile of draft picks. The star receiver was heading to the 305. Underneath the neon lights and palm trees, Marshall was struggling mightily off the football field and had been for some time.

Marshall made headlines for all the wrong reasons as a Denver Bronco. In two separate incidents in 2007, he was arrested for a DUI and for suspicion of domestic violence. That same year, he was with teammate Darrent Willimas the night he was murdered outside a nightclub after an altercation. His relationship with his wife escalated when she stabbed him in the stomach in 2011, per CBS8.com. He told police he fell onto a broken glass vase, but an investigation ensued, and the charges against her were later dropped.

While at McLean Hospital in Boston, Marshall was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Therapy sessions proved to have a positive influence on him. He spent three months at the hospital. 

Before the start of the 2011 season, Marshall announced his BPD diagnosis at a press conference. Marshall took a stand for all those suffering from mental illness by being open and straightforward in his announcement. It inspired others living with mental illness to seek help. Most importantly, it lifted long-standing stigmas about mental illness.

In a better frame of mind, Marshall played lights out for the Dolphins in 2011. He nabbed 81 catches for 1,214 yards and six touchdowns en route to another Pro Bowl nod for the star receiver. It was his best season in Miami.

In March 2012, the Chicago Bears traded for Brandon Marshall. The deal reunited Marshall with longtime friend and Bears starting quarterback Jay Cutler. After being exiled from Denver and Miami, Marshall was given a clean slate in Chicago. An often overlooked quarterback-wide receiver duo, Marshall caught 466 receptions for 5,915 yards and 42 touchdowns in 75 games with Cutler, per Statmuse.

With the past behind him, Marshall had his best year as a pro, nabbing 118 catches for 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns.

During his tenure with the Chicago Bears, Marshall was widely considered a top-10 wide receiver. He was gifted with all the skills a receiver needs to succeed. He had the hands, speed, and physicality necessary to dominate would-be defenders.

Marshall was traded to the New York Jets just before the 2015 season. He hauled in 109 catches for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first year in the Big Apple. Marshall was the receiving touchdown co-leader and was tied with Doug Baldwin and Allen Robinson for the lead. After an off-year in 2016, the Jets let Marshall explore his options in free agency.

Marshall ended his career after stints with the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks. Marshall showed his age in the twilight of his career. He spent a few months with the New Orleans Saints in 2018 but never played a down in The Big Easy.

Marshall is tied with Antonio Brown for the record of most seasons with 100 receptions or more, per Statmuse. He is also a member of the 10,000-yard club.

Since hanging up the cleats, Marshall has made a name for himself in sports media. He is a host on the podcast I Am Athlete alongside a star-studded cast of LeSean McCoy and Pacman Jones. He’s been a contributor to SHOWTIME’s Inside the NFL series. 

Marshall’s greatest accomplishment might be giving those suffering from BPD someone to believe in. He inspired others to seek help and even wore lime green cleats (the color of mental health) as a pro football player to show his support for improving mental health. Marshall continues to use his platform as an athlete to make a difference.