Leonard Weaver put in several vey solid seasons with the Seahawks after they signed the college TE to a contract as an undrafted free agent out of Carson-Newman in 2005 and made him a fullback. Weaver quickly became a fan favorite and replaced Seahawk legend Mack Strong in 2007 as the lunch pail, tough as nails lead blocker for the offense. His versatility was a huge asset for the team, and he caught 59 passes combined in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. For some unknown reasons - Weaver said several times that he'd like to return to Seattle-, this front office decided not to attempt to re-sign him, and he signed with Philadelphia for what was a record contract for a FB at the time. He went on to be named All-Pro at the position that year. Awesome. For him, anyway.
Unfortunately, Weaver was seriously injured on his first carry of the 2010 season, and has been rehabbing since to try to get back into the league. Even more unfortunately, it's not looking good. Via Deadspin:
He was 28, in his prime, and his ACL was shredded. His posterolateral corner was torn. The muscle surrounding his knee was destroyed and his nerves irrevocably damaged. Three surgeries followed, and six months rehabbing with Dr. James Andrews, and it became clear Weaver wouldn't return for 2011. The Eagles cut him, though he only found out when a reporter asked him for comment.
After nearly two full seasons out of football, the Philadelphia Daily News catches up with Weaver going to a contractually mandated physical exam with Eagles doctors. The test is simple: flex your foot, bending the toes up toward the knee. Weaver can't do it. "I failed," he says. "My foot didn't work."
Weaver says there's no chance he'll be back for 2012, and after that he'll be 31 and won't have played in three years, so by any realistic projection, his NFL days are done. He comes across as at peace with this, and there's a silver lining: Weaver met his fiancée near his home in Florida, during what should have been football season.
Here's to hoping he can somehow beat the odds. If not, he should rest assured he had and still has a ton of fans in the Seattle area that appreciate what he did for the team while he was here.