Schoenke was 24 and out of the league. He tried a comeback in 1966, bouncing from the Green Bay Packers to the Cleveland Browns without success. It looked like he'd be shifting all his attention to the insurance business. Then Washington offered him a spot on what passed for the 1966 version of today's practice squad.
One of the more notable examples of that is offensive lineman Joe Thuney, who left the Patriots for the Chiefs in 2021, signing a massive five-year, $80 million contract that the Patriots very easily could have (and probably should have) offered. He has since won two more Super Bowls and is now continuing his career with the Bears.
