He thought he would be a basketball player and never considered football until high school where he learned the game on his 1A high school team. First on offense, then moving to defense. His team was good, regularly beating larger schools and garnering large home crowds. The college scouts didn’t stop by often, however Nate was still offered a few scholarships.  

He chose North Carolina State where he would become an All-American his senior year. An honorable feat by itself, but even more impressive considering he missed the year before recovering from multiple injuries sustained in a single car crash. Nate overcame a collapsed lung, separated shoulder, broken rib and a compound leg fracture.  

He was a 3rd round draft pick of the Broncos in 2011 and played in nearly every game his first three seasons. He started several games in 2014, until he was bit by the injury bug with a torn ACL. The Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl that year and did not sign Nate to a new contract in the off season.  

He signed a new deal with the Colts, but again found himself in the training room and after one year of his three-year deal, Nate was cut on the final day of training camp in 2016. Soon after, Nate decided he was at peace with his NFL career and walked away.  

Today, Nate is a director and manages 300 people at Anschutz Medical Center, is the Defensive Coordinator at Ponderosa High School and a proud girl dad to three little ladies.

Listen to Nate’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.

He’s not the typical professional athlete, but his resume reads like one: he was on the payroll of a professional team, he entertained fans and he performed athletic feats many would never dare. He also wore a mountain lion costume. Kenn Solomon was Rocky, the Nuggets mascot, for over three decades and while he kept his mascot code of silence when in costume, now he’s “just Kenn” and has plenty to talk about.  

Kenn grew up in Las Vegas and was self-taught gymnastics in his backyard. After seeing the San Diego Chicken at a minor league baseball game, he instantly had a career goal. He became his high school’s mascot and did the same at two colleges. At Utah State, as a communications major, Kenn came to Denver during a summer to intern at the Rocky Mountain News. He decided to cold call the Nuggets and strike up a conversation about him being their mascot. The Nuggets didn’t have a mascot, but they listened to his spiel. They didn’t do anything right away, so Kenn kept calling.  Eventually he auditioned for Rocky and won the gig.  

His 30+ years as Rocky saw him become a fan favorite and an attraction for the Nuggets, especially during some very down seasons on the hardwood. He made countless appearances off the court, endured a few injuries (including breaking his back) and a life changing lesson after spending a weekend in jail.  

His retirement came after the Nuggets won their NBA championship and a transition to the new Rocky was set up for one of Kenn’s three sons. Drake Solomon held the role for a while until he had to step aside to rehab an injury. The Nuggets decided to go a different direction. Now Kenn is going in a different direction with lots of open doors and opportunities between public speaking, podcasting and writing a book.  

Listen to Kenn’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.

When a life lesson presents itself, it’s usually best practice to learn and grow from it. Like Ricky Brewers’ junior year at Colorado State University. A year that he didn’t play football and instead was suspended and on the scout team.  

Ricky is a Colorado native with roots in the Denver Public School system. In high school he played football for legendary high school coach Dave Logan and won a State Championship. He had his choice of colleges but wanted to stay close to home and committed to the University of Colorado. That changed when Gary Barnett got fired and Ricky headed north to Colorado State University.  

He quickly became a star linebacker and had a breakout year his sophomore season which wrapped up with a win at the New Mexico Bowl. Before the game, he was drug tested and Ricky knew that was going to be a problem. It was. Ricky went from being on ESPN with a post-game interview to being a headline on the ticker with the word “suspension.”  

He'd return to CSU and have over 100 tackles his senior year. NFL teams appeared leery because of the suspension, and he never latched on anywhere, save for an overnight with the Dolphins. So instead, he put his efforts into a doctorate and becoming an educator. Today he’s an elementary school principal and radio color analyst for CSU football.  

Listen to Ricky’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.

He’s one of just over 30 players who can say he played for the Broncos twice. Corey Nelson grew up in Dallas and was the 5A player of the year in high school as well as a 5-star recruit by Scout.com. He had numerous colleges offering scholarships and chose Oklahoma because of the connection he felt with the linebacker’s coach.  

Corey started playing as a true freshman and gathered accolades as both an athlete and student. His senior season started strong with a pick-6 and a plethora of tackles… until he tore his pec muscle and required surgery. At that point, Corey wasn’t sure if he had a future in the NFL, so he picked up more classes and wrapped up his degree in four years.  

Turns out he did have an NFL future and in 2014, the Broncos drafted him in the 7th round. He worked his way on to the roster through special teams and became a Super Bowl Champion. Then another injury came and the Broncos didn’t sign him back in the offseason.  

Corey then traveled from team to team trying out for any openings. The Broncos brought him back in 2019, but in October that year, another injury put him out for the season and eventually out of the league.   These days he’s a husband, dad and business owner in Texas.  

Listen to Corey’s story and conversation with @susiewargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast. Links to listen on your favorite podcast platforms in the @ctfrpodcast bio!

The chip on Chris Harris Jr’s shoulder began to form in high school. He’d lettered in three sports, been All-State in football and basketball and was honored for his academics. Yet he hadn’t been offered a scholarship after his senior year of football. Finally during the basketball season, the University of Kansas gave him an offer. Once other schools head of KU’s scholarship, they jumped on the band wagon and started calling Chris. The chip started.  

After his career with the Jayhawks where he played 50 games and racked up nearly 300 tackles, there was no invite to the Senior Bowl, the East-West Shrine game or the Combine. Instead, he had a Pro Day which went well, but he still went undrafted. Then the 2011 NFL lockout started. The chip deepened.  

When the lockout lifted, Chris was with the Broncos, trying to make a team with some top-notch defensive backs. He balled out on special teams, got the attention of coaches and made the roster. Eventually he’d be a starter and a key component of the “No Fly Zone” which helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50.  

In 2020, his contract was up with the Broncos and despite thinking he would be resigned, he wasn’t and instead went to the Chargers and later to the Saints. In 2023, teams stopped calling and Chris knew it was time to retire, which he did in October of 2024. Today he’s embarking on some new adventures and trying to ensure he and his wife don’t get overthrown by their 5 young daughters.


Listen to Chris’s story and conversation with @susiewargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast. Links to listen on your favorite podcast platforms in the @ctfrpodcast bio!

Even though he was making tackles left and right at William & Mary, Jim Ryan never thought about going to the NFL after college. He was getting his Business Management degree and heading into the real world. That is until a scout from the Broncos contacted him.  

The scout knew Jim wasn’t going to be drafted but saw his talent and wanted to be on the linebacker’s radar when he was picking out a team to sign with as an undrafted free agent. Turns out the Broncos were the only ones who called, and the kid from New Jersey went west for the first time.  

That was 1979. The year before, the Broncos had played in their first Super Bowl and the Orange Crush Defense was in full force. Jim figured he had no shot of making the team, so he played relaxed and had fun. That method worked well as he made the team and stayed for 10 seasons.  

After football, Jim tried a variety of jobs including stints with the media and coaching at the high school and NFL levels. After 3 firings in 5 years with coaching, Jim went into the business world. Today, he consults as a trainer for sales teams, spends time with his family and stays in touch with his former teammates.  

Listen to Jim’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.

He set receiving records at Colorado State University and eventually landed in their Athletics Hall of Fame. Not bad for a guy who didn’t have the size of a “typical” wide receiver in the early 2000’s. These days, David Anderson would fit right in.  

David grew up in California and played at Thousand Oaks High School, a hot bed for college recruiting. Despite having numerous D1 scouts and coaches at his games and dominating at wide receiver, David’s first scholarship offer came in the late fall of his senior year. During his visit to Fort Collins, he committed to play for Sonny Lubick.  

After a stellar career at CSU, he was selected by the Houston Texans with the 4th to last pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Like Sonny Lubick, Gary Kubiak had an eye for hidden talent. David played 9 games as a rookie and stayed with the Texans until he was cut in the summer of 2011. He got picked up by the Broncos for training camp, then cut again. From there he bounced back to Houston, had a short stop with Mike Shanahan in Washington, another quick stint in Seattle and called it a career.  

After his playing days, David went back to school to get his MBA and venture into the business world. Eventually, his love for math and communications led to a startup called Breakaway Data where he is currently the CEO. David is also a husband and father to three young children who keep him plenty busy.  

Listen to David’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Growing up in California, Nate Jackson spent all his time in the swimming pool… because he wasn’t allowed to play football until high school. He excelled in the pool and figured out how to compete. Once he started high school, his football experience began as a running back. Nate had to catch up quickly with guys who had been playing for a while… and had hit puberty.  

He caught up and moved to wide receiver, however in a run-first offense, Nate didn’t get enough exposure to earn a college football scholarship. He decided he would try to walk on somewhere and settled on Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The football coach told him all the walk-on spots were full and he should come back in the spring. When he came back in the spring, Nate and the other walk-ons were put aside. So, he transferred to Division III Menlo College.  

At Menlo, Nate set records at wide receiver, earned NCAA Division III Offensive Player of the Year his senior year and is now in their Hall of Fame. He went undrafted after graduation and was able to catch on with the 49er’s. From there the ups and downs of pro football started: injury, cut, resigned, traded to the Broncos, NFL Europe, cut by Josh McDaniels, more injuries and a final try with the Las Vegas Locomotives.  

Nate’s body had enough. He retired, started a family and embarked on many missions: published a book, wrote numerous articles and became a radio talk show host. Today, he’s working with Guerrilla Sports and is the NFL’s Uniform Inspector on the Broncos sidelines during home games.  

Listen to Nate’s story and conversation with @susiewargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast. Links to listen on your favorite podcast platforms in the @ctfrpodcast bio!

He grew up in St Louis and played a number of sports, except football. Jay Leeuwenburg’s dad wanted to make sure he was coached properly, so he had to wait until high school to hit the gridiron. In the meantime, Jay dealt with a setback: being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in middle school.  

The diabetes diagnosis meant one thing: how to manage it and play sports. Jay figured it out with the proper nutrition and became stronger… real strong. He excelled on the offensive line at his high school and got noticed by Gary Barnett, who was recruiting for the University of Colorado under Bill McCartney.  

Jay took a scholarship at CU and found himself once again making a name for himself on the offensive line as a center. He helped the Buffs win a National Championship in 1990 and was a unanimous First Team All American the following season. There was talk about being a high draft pick, but that ended when he was chosen by the Chiefs in the 9th round of the 1992 draft.  

The Chiefs didn’t keep him after training camp his rookie season, but the Bears claimed him off wires and he thrived in Chicago, starting every game from 1993-1995. He was a free agent in 1996 and signed with the Colts and eventually became Peyton Manning’s center. After stops in Cincinnati, Washington and Denver (very briefly), Jay retired and settled in Colorado with his family.  
He dabbled in radio and TV and also got his teaching license. He’s been teaching 3rd grade at Colorado Academy now for 23 years.

Growing up in California, he wanted to be like his favorite Raider’s player, Howie Long. Coincidentally, Travis Kirschke paralleled Howie’s NFL position (defensive end) and longevity in the league (13 years). Howie stayed with the same team and won one Super Bowl. Travis made 3 stops in the NFL, with the final one providing him two Super Bowl rings.  

Travis was a standout high school player in The Golden State, earning a California Player of the Year Award and the Glenn Davis Award for the best high school player in the Los Angeles area. His career at UCLA wasn’t nearly as illustrious as he endured a few coaching changes and injuries. The result was being undrafted in 1997.  

He stuck with his goal, however, and got on with the Detroit Lions where he became a starter his 3rd year and stayed for 6 seasons. From there he moved on (by choice) to the 49’ers and had one of his best seasons, starting nearly every game and racking up 43 tackles. After San Fransisco, he was courted by the Saints and Steelers and felt Pittsburgh was the best fit. Smart move. Travis helped build a solid defense with names like Polamalu and Porter and won two Super Bowls.   After 13 seasons, Travis knew his time had come.

He had moved to Colorado during his NFL career with his wife and three kids and returned there to start the next chapter. In retirement, he has stayed busy as an assistant football coach at Valor High School and being dad to three athletes. Currently his two youngest sons are college student athletes with Gabe playing football at Colorado State and Blake playing lacrosse at the University of Denver.