Scott Van Pelt discusses the end of an era for the Chiefs and Vikings as they part ways with Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson, and looks to the uncertain future for the veteran running backs headed into free agency. (2:14)

The NFL's wounded workforce is strong, athletic and wants to exhaust all medical deductibles.

For every young and healthy star bracing for life-changing money when free agency kicks off Thursday, dozens of others battle injury stigmas that will affect their bottom lines.

That doesn't mean these players can't find quality jobs. ESPN's All-Wounded Free Agency Team is stocked with playmakers pairing past accomplishments with past-their-prime joints. Teams must decide how much these players have left.

Former team: New York Jets

Age: 26

Ailment: Torn ACL in October

Buzz: Smith has created minimal buzz in the national quarterback discussion while nursing a torn ACL that ended an uneven career in New York. But Smith believes he was poised to break out before the injury. "My mistakes were shown on the field the first two years, and then me getting better has kind of been behind the scenes," Smith told NFL Network. "The next time I step onto the field, it'll be what they expect."

Outlook: Someone will take a chance on Smith as a backup. He still has transferable traits, including arm strength.

Geno Smith has thrown for 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in his NFL career. Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire

Running back: Adrian Peterson

Former team: Minnesota Vikings

Age: 31

Ailments: Knee history includes torn meniscus in 2016 and torn ACL in 2011.

Buzz: The Vikings are basically waving goodbye to Peterson from the balcony. General manager Rick Spielman lauds a deep running back draft class and said Peterson will "always be a Viking." Meanwhile, Peterson turns 32 in a few weeks and thrives off antiquated I-formation sets -- not exactly a winning free agency formula. But Peterson won the rushing title two years ago, and the last time he wanted to prove doubters wrong coming off knee issues, he went for 2,097 yards in 2012.

Outlook: Peterson is an attractive option for teams with a quality quarterback and a we're-one-piece-away belief. Peterson could sign an incentive-laden contract worth $4-6 million per year in base money. Aaron Rodgers wouldn't mind faking play-actions with Peterson on third downs.

Running back: Jamaal Charles

Former team: Kansas City Chiefs

Age: 30

Ailment: Torn ACL in 2015, lingering swelling in 2016

Buzz: An all-the-way-back Charles can inject life into an offense, but playing a combined eight games in the past two seasons taints his value. The benefit of those missed games: If Charles' knee returns to full strength, he's awfully well-rested. Charles has 1,604 touches in nine seasons. DeAngelo Williams prolonged his career with Pittsburgh after splitting carries for nine seasons in Carolina. Charles might be best-utilized as a third-down playmaker with ability to spot-start games when necessary.

Outlook: Watch out for the Eagles, whose head coach Doug Pederson, a former Chiefs coordinator, has intimate knowledge of Charles' skill set. Charles also would be an ideal complementary piece to starter Robert Kelley in Washington.

Jamaal Charles didn't fully recover from a 2015 torn ACL, getting just 12 carries last season. AP Photo/Ed Zurga

Wide receiver: Vincent Jackson

Former team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Age: 34

Ailment: ACL injury in October

Buzz: V-Jax finally showed signs of breaking down last season. The once-potent field-stretcher averaged a career-low 11.5 yards per catch before the injury. But Tampa Bay kept him in 2016 despite a cap hit of nearly $10 million because of his leadership and veteran savvy while giving Jameis Winston a No. 2 receiving option. As the wide receiver position trends younger, Jackson's age/injury quotient will be tough to overcome.

Outlook: Jackson is more of a depth signing at this point. He will likely follow the path of other prominent 30-somethings rehabbing injuries: Wait until late spring or summer, see which teams have a playmaking need, then show off your health to those teams.

Wide receiver: Markus Wheaton

Former team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Age: 26

Ailment: Torn labrum

Buzz: Wheaton has much to prove after his big contract year steered its way into the training room. After 97 catches from 2014 to '15, Wheaton finished last season with four catches and never looked comfortable while fighting through the shoulder injury before surgery. The Steelers badly needed a reliable No. 2 receiver last year, too.

Outlook: Wheaton might have to rebuild his value on a two- or three-year bridge contract, but he can still play, and there's enough money out there for receivers with adequate speed and good hands. He still must show he can consistently make contested catches.

Markus Wheaton averaged 17.0 yards per catch in 2015. George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Tight end: Jordan Cameron

Former team: Miami Dolphins

Age: 28

Ailments: A reported four concussions in four seasons spanning stints in Cleveland and Miami

Buzz: For the second time in his career, Cameron enters unrestricted free agency with a "buyer beware" sticker on his helmet. Retirement might be a consideration for Cameron. But his talent shined through in his last contract: Miami gave him $15 million over two years despite well-documented concussion issues in Cleveland. And the last time he was truly featured in an offense, Cameron caught 80 passes for 917 yards and seven scores in 2013. This isn't an athletic issue.

Outlook: Cameron will likely remain on the free-agency shelf early on while tight ends Martellus Bennett, Jack Doyle and Jared Cook get theirs. But contending teams will be intrigued while looking for value deals.

Offensive tackle: Matt Kalil

Former team: Minnesota Vikings

Age: 27

Ailment: Underwent surgery in September to repair a torn labrum in his right hip

Buzz: Kalil had his turnstile moments in Minnesota, but the hip issue had lingered for a few years, so perhaps he'll showcase more explosion off the ball in Year 6. Kalil has been training in California and has returned to his ideal playing weight of 315 pounds. He wants to return to Minnesota, and the team might be open to re-signing him.

Outlook: Kalil should benefit from a weak left tackle market. After Andrew Whitworth, teams won't find many safe bets. If the Panthers want to rebuild a porous line, Kalil could join his brother Ryan in Carolina.

Matt Kalil, the fourth overall pick in 2012, was ineffective for much of his time in Minnesota before getting injured last season. Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports

Former team: Tennessee Titans

Age: 25

Ailment: Underwent right hand surgery in September

Outlook: Warmack's injury seems manageable, but more alarming is the Titans' apparent reluctance to re-sign a former top-10 pick. The team didn't pick up his fifth-year option in 2016, and the injury leaves Warmack grasping for second life in free agency. But Warmack was a beast coming out of Alabama, and athletic guard play is invaluable in today's game.

Buzz: Warmack will get his chance to avoid draft-bust status, but he'll likely have to wait behind Cincinnati's Kevin Zeitler, Detroit's Larry Warford and Green Bay's T.J. Lang in the interior line hierarchy.

Defensive line: Charles Johnson

Former team: Carolina Panthers

Age: 30

Ailment: Hamstring issues forced him to miss action in 2015 and 2016

Buzz: After averaging 10.5 sacks per year from 2010 to 2014, Johnson managed five sacks total the past two years while missing a combined 10 games. Older players sometimes struggle shaking lingering hamstring issues, and Johnson turns 31 in July. Johnson was a free-agency king in 2011 with a six-year, $72 million deal. He played five years on that deal, which is pretty impressive. He's still a serviceable lineman but lacks the explosion that earned that deal.

Outlook: Teams won't ignore good rotational defensive end help. Johnson should land a job somewhere. But his days in Carolina appear numbered.

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware

Former team: Denver Broncos

Age: 34

Ailment: Underwent back surgery to repair ruptured disk

Buzz: Ware can follow the blueprint of late-30s marvels Dwight Freeney and James Harrison by using savvy, leverage and strength to offset declining speed. Ware has remained productive into his 30s with nearly 0.6 sacks per game in three seasons with Denver. His recovery from the back injury will take time but shouldn't be career-ending.

Outlook: Joining a contender as a situational pass-rusher is the ideal blueprint for Ware, who reportedly is leaving the door open for a return to Dallas. Denver appears ready to move on. Ware got three years and $30 million in 2014. He won't get that now, but a one- or two-year deal will satisfy.

When DeMarcus Ware was on the field, he was a productive pass-rusher for the Broncos. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Former team: San Diego Chargers

Age: 26

Ailment: Torn Achilles in September

Buzz: Te'o was a steady riser in the Chargers' defense and earned team captain honors in 2016. That's why his injury is so unfortunate. He went from an attractive free agent in a middling inside linebacker market to a big question mark. Science and rehab advancements can help players recover from serious injuries (Demaryius Thomas and Brent Grimes are among success stories). Though regaining his first step is hardly a guarantee, Te'o plays more off instincts than raw athleticism.

Outlook: Te'o might have to settle for a short-term prove-it deal and re-emerge in a future year with a bigger salary cap. Watch out for Oakland, which has former Chargers coordinator John Pagano on staff. He's got a linebacker background and worked extensively with Te'o for four seasons.

Defensive back: Darrelle Revis

Former team: New York Jets

Age: 31

Ailment: "Body's breaking down"

Buzz: That's not our assessment. Those are Revis' words to Newsday back in October, shortly after he missed action with a hamstring injury. The past 12 months have been nightmarish for Revis, who was slow to recover from offseason wrist surgery, reported to camp out of shape, struggled to cover receivers one-on-one, got cut by the Jets and faces felony assault charges for his alleged role in an altercation in Pittsburgh. Revis has hit the trifecta of unattractive free-agency profiles -- age, injury, legal trouble.

Outlook: Teams aren't eager to even entertain signing him while his legal case continues. Yes, perhaps Revis can become a safety, a move Revis has publicly embraced. But Revis gets $6 million whether he plays or not. The Jets owe him that unless another team covers some of payout by signing him. How motivated will he really be?

Former team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Age: 27

Ailments: Pectoral, biceps and hamstring injuries since 2014

Buzz: What Amukamara does on the field isn't the big issue. Staying there is. He has missed 27 games in six seasons, including at least two games in five of the past six years. In 2016, he signed a one-year, $5.5-million deal with Jacksonville to prove he could stay healthy, and he acquitted himself well in 14 games. Amukamara will have a market as a physical press-man corner with adequate size.

Outlook: Amukamara won't break the bank in a crowded cornerback class, but he'll get paid quality coin in the second tier. Watch out for a team such as Pittsburgh, which is close to a Super Bowl run but needs one more athletic corner.