It seems everyone has that story of “the one that got away,” a lost love that conjures feelings of woulda/shoulda/coulda.

Whomever that might be in your personal life, if you were a Green Bay Packers fan in the mid-1990s, you might be thinking of linebacker Bryce Paup right about now.

In his own way, Paup had it all – a product of Northern Iowa University, he arrived in Green Bay in 1990 as the 159th overall pick in round six of the NFL Draft, brimming with versatility and want-to. Paup could play outside, he could play inside. If the situation called for it, he could play as a down lineman.

He was a Packer, plain and simple.

While his rookie year was quiet, in his sophomore campaign Paup notched 7.5 sacks and grabbed the attention of the NFL in Week 2 of that season with 4.5 sacks and a safety against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That season, he also forced three fumbles.

In year three, Paup tallied 43 tackles, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumbles recovered, and then, as the Packers were beginning to ascend during the Brett Favre/Mike Holmgren era, he posted 74 tackles, 11 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in 1993. Incredibly, he was overlooked for the Pro Bowl.

He followed that stellar campaign in 1994 with 7.5 sacks, 79 total tackles, three interceptions including a pick-six, plus two forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered, this time earning his first Pro Bowl honors. As his rookie contract came to an end, it was a no-brainer for Packers General Manager Ron Wolf to re-sign Paup to a long-term contract.

Except, somehow, it wasn’t. 

The Packers didn’t pursue their rising star reportedly due to salary cap concerns, and he signed a three-year, $7.6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills. The man who had brought his signature “Paup Smear” tackles to Green Bay was gone. Packers fans were heartbroken. Paup’s heart wasn’t feeling so happy either, despite the money.

“It was where I bought my first house and had my first child,” Paup said many years later. “I didn’t want to leave.”

Sometimes it’s difficult to move on. Especially when you see that someone who got away doing better without you. And that’s exactly what Bryce Paup did. His first year in Buffalo, the 6-5, 250 pound ‘backer showed the NFL exactly who he could be – and in the process, he stomped on Packers fans’ hearts all over again.

In that 1995 season, Paup dominated with a career-high 17.5 sacks, with 89 total tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered. He was an ass-kicking crew of one en route to winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. Was it too late to beg him to come home?

"I learned a very valuable lesson," Packers general manager Ron Wolf said at the time. "I made a miscalculation about Bryce Paup, and I'll own up to it. He's a heck of a football player, and we were sorry we lost him."

Paup would never ascend to that level again, but over his three years in Buffalo, he tallied 33 sacks plus two Pro Bowl nods and one first team All-Pro. He would go on to have stints in Jacksonville and Minnesota before retiring.

Following his playing career, Paup went into coaching, first in high school at Green Bay Southwest and later in college. He is currently the assistant defensive line coach at Iowa State. Additionally, he works as a motivational speaker.

Maybe one day Bryce Paup will make the jump to coaching in the NFL – if so, let’s hope he lands an assistant spot in Green Bay. At least then, we’d all know we were able to remain friends after the emotional breakup.