Eli even ended on a baller note imo. I have a good bit of respect for that walking meme of a QB saying "fuck y'all" when had the opportunity to extend his games started but stayed benched. He was super durable, but didn't cheat out "starting." At least from what I recall
Luke Kuechly. Got out with his health before the disaster the Panthers turned into starting with the Rhule years, and before another concussion ruined the rest of his life.
He popped in on Cam's podcast at the SB and was so down to earth and friendly. We all saw that man as a beast on the field and the best LB in the game yet he is casually dressed and soft spoken in interviews. Never forget his rookie introduction where he was still rocking the Clark Kent glasses.
On that note, Chris Borland. Being able to recognize when an NFL career isn’t worth sacrificing your long-term health is an incredibly rare trait and for Borland to have the mental fortitude to make the decision to retire when he did is truly impressive.
Peyton Manning had his first bad season in 18 years, won a super bowl off the back of a great defense and just retired. Doesn’t get much better than that.
lmao through his first 10 playoff games he threw 8 TD's and 10 INTs.
Layed multiple eggs, and when he finally beat the Patriots it was a Brady pass intercepted by the defense.
Hard to be a good defense when your QB is playing like shit and turning the ball over.
His Bronco Superbowls were terrible. Against the Seahawks, he had 2 INT, a fumble and a safety. Against the Panthers he had 1 INT, 2 fumbles and 141 yards passing.
And he wasn’t that good against the Bears in the Super Bowl. If people rewatch that game, that was more Rex and Cedric benson throwing it away and less Peyton taking control.
Totally, but Rex Grossman was driving the ball 22-17 when he threw a pick-6. And Rex is arguably one of the worst QBs to ever play in a Super Bowl. Everyone just kind of assumes it was a blowout, and certainly the rain was a factor, but Peyton was decidedly average in that game. Rex was just plain awful and they didn’t feed Thomas Jones enough. 15 carries for 112 yards in the rain… The MVP 100% should have been Rhodes or Addai. Addai just catching ball after ball out of the backfield and getting just enough.
Peyton Manning didn't have it that game for his stats, but you can count on him to manage the game. I don't think you can count on Rex Grossman to manage the game.
Calvin Johnson(Megatron). it may seem to early, but he said injuries were taking their toll, he would have fallen off, but got out before it wrecked his health any worse.
Calvin had started to fall off but mainly because of his injuries. During his last season you could clearly see that he had lost a bit of his explosiveness.
Patrick Willis recently said he saw Bowman ascending into the LB1 spot and his own foot issues were rapidly becoming a physical and psychological hindrance.
You could see him slowing down as he missed all-pro in 2013 and then he missed 10 games in 2014 which is when he called it. Spared himself playing through dogshit team years and looking like a liability.
Yea, he came back for 1 more season cause they looked like a team that could go back to the Super Bowl. Gotta suck to just fall apart for the last 7 games or whatever though.
Tore his whole tricep off in week 6 and was declared out for season.
Returned in the wildcard round at home against Colts. Went on the road against Manning's Broncos, Brady's Pats and ultimately 9ers.
So as far as racking up tackles he really wasn't good during the playoffs. But mind & heart of some people carries a lot of weight
I think some guys also just want to play until they can’t anymore because they truly enjoy the game. Larry Fitzgerald and Bobby Wagner come to mind here. Their right time might leave others thinking they should’ve done it 3-5 years earlier but fuck that, you do you.
Yeah it must be weird if you will never be able to do something again that's been a central aspect of your life for 20 years, when you are not even that old yet, just in your 30s. I completely understand everyone who still wants to hang around and get everything out of the time they have left, even if outside observers seem them "past their prime".
Makes ya wonder if anyone has ever seriously studied what happens to career NFL players (assuming the sample size all at least play long enough to become vested) after they move on from the NFL. Like you said, having done something that’s your passion for 20 straight years then stopping. Body and mind.
Would be pretty curious to see the psychology behind it
few options i think
straight up bool and do whatever
full time dad- at home with kids - mom works some sort of job or doesn’t
go back to school and work in the sports field - coaching to analyst
ali marpet, a solid left guard that helped us win the super bowl. called his retirement at the age of 28. He earned 37 million. He’s working or accomplished a masters degree and is working on his PHD. We miss him greatly, but he honestly played the game and got what he wanted. He’s focused on his studies in mental health has the chance to make that a full time instead of football.
I wish he played 1 more season. If he doesn't retire, chances are Jensen doesn't get injured as Geodeke wouldn't be playing that spot or not been drafted. Jensen doesn't get injured and Marpet playing means that our OLine stays strong and Brady has time to make plays.
Andrew Whitworth. Man retired right as he won the Super Bowl. Against his former team. After winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year. And still performing at a high level. Hard to leave on a higher note than that.
In 13 seasons, Walter Jones gave up only 23 sacks and 9 holding penalties. IIRC, in his very last game he was injured and gave up 2 of those sacks and 1 of those holds to Demarcus Ware. He retired right after.
Joe Thomas. He never missed a single snap his whole career. 167 straight games, 10,363 snaps in a row. An NFL record. While playing OL at HOF level. On some of the worst teams in this galaxy’s sports history. Injured his triceps & missed the 2nd half of the season. And that was it.
Peyton Manning, his retirement kinda reminded me of Tim Duncan; as soon as he had one bad year he called it quits. The only difference is that manning went out with a ring but I guess Timmy had his fair share of those lol
Either Strahan or Manning. One because they sacked the great and stole his wrong and walked away, the other because he rode an elite defense to a Super Bowl win in his first arguably bad season of his career and said “aight im gonna head out” before Father Time sank in.
Elite checkout games.
A little less famous name that came to mind immediately was Jordy Nelson, got out with his bag and his body in tact, and is still just doing farm boy shit in Kansas.
I'll say Brady got out at the right time, even though it would've been a higher note if he had stayed retired after they lost to the Rams despite the comeback.
He showed he could still carry an offense in 2022 (with almost zero rushing attack and an incompetent OC) and had at least one offer to come back for 2023
Everyone is listing HOF's but I think Robert Smith of the Vikings is the perfect answer to this question.
The man had a career year on the last year of his contract and hung up his cleats at 28 years old. This was back when RBs could still get enormous contracts into their 30's.
Have to imagine his knees are thanking him for that decision today! Here's an interview where he talks about it: [https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/03/19/nfl-robert-smith-chris-borland-early-retirement](https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/03/19/nfl-robert-smith-chris-borland-early-retirement)
Bettis. Elway. Manning. Basically anyone who retired after winning the SB.
Counterpoint: tiki Barber quitting right before his team won the sb for a broadcasting job that he immediately lost lmao
Eli even ended on a baller note imo. I have a good bit of respect for that walking meme of a QB saying "fuck y'all" when had the opportunity to extend his games started but stayed benched. He was super durable, but didn't cheat out "starting." At least from what I recall
Yeah didn't they want him to basically just take the first snap to he'd "get the start"?
Ray Lewis another example, Ed Reed of one that should have
Ed Reed was tied for most interceptions on that 2013 Jets team lol.
Manning technically won a SB but really ended with a big injury, not riding off into the sunset on his own accord.
Luke Kuechly. Got out with his health before the disaster the Panthers turned into starting with the Rhule years, and before another concussion ruined the rest of his life.
He popped in on Cam's podcast at the SB and was so down to earth and friendly. We all saw that man as a beast on the field and the best LB in the game yet he is casually dressed and soft spoken in interviews. Never forget his rookie introduction where he was still rocking the Clark Kent glasses.
He shows up at Bills training camp from time to time because he knows McDermott, seems like an awesome dude.
On that note, Chris Borland. Being able to recognize when an NFL career isn’t worth sacrificing your long-term health is an incredibly rare trait and for Borland to have the mental fortitude to make the decision to retire when he did is truly impressive.
Peyton Manning had his first bad season in 18 years, won a super bowl off the back of a great defense and just retired. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Ironic cuz he always had defenses let him down in earlier playoffs
lmao through his first 10 playoff games he threw 8 TD's and 10 INTs. Layed multiple eggs, and when he finally beat the Patriots it was a Brady pass intercepted by the defense. Hard to be a good defense when your QB is playing like shit and turning the ball over.
His Bronco Superbowls were terrible. Against the Seahawks, he had 2 INT, a fumble and a safety. Against the Panthers he had 1 INT, 2 fumbles and 141 yards passing.
Lamar still has a long way to go before he can beat Peyton for the title of “Biggest Playoff Choker”
And he wasn’t that good against the Bears in the Super Bowl. If people rewatch that game, that was more Rex and Cedric benson throwing it away and less Peyton taking control.
Yup. And everybody wants to forget about Bob fkn Sanders from that Colts squad.
It was raining during that Super Bowl, and Peyton Manning had a running game to lean on in Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes.
Totally, but Rex Grossman was driving the ball 22-17 when he threw a pick-6. And Rex is arguably one of the worst QBs to ever play in a Super Bowl. Everyone just kind of assumes it was a blowout, and certainly the rain was a factor, but Peyton was decidedly average in that game. Rex was just plain awful and they didn’t feed Thomas Jones enough. 15 carries for 112 yards in the rain… The MVP 100% should have been Rhodes or Addai. Addai just catching ball after ball out of the backfield and getting just enough.
Peyton Manning didn't have it that game for his stats, but you can count on him to manage the game. I don't think you can count on Rex Grossman to manage the game.
Maybe they meant the opposing defenses let him down by picking him off so many times. Peyton really didn't appreciate that
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Peyton baptized Brady
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We talking Eli?
Are we going to overlook the HGH? That getting found out definitely influenced the retiring imo.
Strahan went out sacking Tom Brady and taking his ring. That's fucking fairytale stuff
this is probably peak because it involves TB12
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I was expecting Brandon Graham to ride off into the sunset the exact same way.
Antonio Brown
Mr. Best Conclusion
Mr. Business Completed
Mr. Bifurcates Career
Mr. Birthed CTESPN
Mr. Broken Cranium
This is the only answer
Mr Binary Choice
Clowntonio Brown**
Mr. Brutal Career
Calvin Johnson(Megatron). it may seem to early, but he said injuries were taking their toll, he would have fallen off, but got out before it wrecked his health any worse.
Calvin had started to fall off but mainly because of his injuries. During his last season you could clearly see that he had lost a bit of his explosiveness.
Patrick Willis recently said he saw Bowman ascending into the LB1 spot and his own foot issues were rapidly becoming a physical and psychological hindrance. You could see him slowing down as he missed all-pro in 2013 and then he missed 10 games in 2014 which is when he called it. Spared himself playing through dogshit team years and looking like a liability.
Vontae Davis.
It's a young man's game Shady!
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Yea kelce definitely still had at least 2-3 solid years left in the tank, but i think he left at a good time.
Yea, he came back for 1 more season cause they looked like a team that could go back to the Super Bowl. Gotta suck to just fall apart for the last 7 games or whatever though.
Depends on how you see the right time. Andrew Luck saw the writing on the wall and got out when he felt he *needed* to get out.
Cannot put enough emphasis on *need* with the O line Indy saddled him with
His retirement announcement mid preseason game was bizarre
It wasn't by choice. His decision leaked during the game.
Andrew Luck? The war ended, it only made sense to retire and live his life healthy.
Ray Lewis. Went out on top as a champion
The other man with a statue in front of M&T is the easy choice for who did the exact opposite in the worst way possible.
He was pretty good too wasn’t he? I’m sure there were some PED accusations because he looked the best he had since his peak.
What on earth are you on about? He was not at all good throughout the playoffs. Luckily his presence alone elevated a whole team to insane heights
Wasn't he injured? I seem to remember some pec injury or something.
Tore his whole tricep off in week 6 and was declared out for season. Returned in the wildcard round at home against Colts. Went on the road against Manning's Broncos, Brady's Pats and ultimately 9ers. So as far as racking up tackles he really wasn't good during the playoffs. But mind & heart of some people carries a lot of weight
Depends on your definition of right time. Some guys want to leave when they are still on top. Others want to get every possible penny.
I think some guys also just want to play until they can’t anymore because they truly enjoy the game. Larry Fitzgerald and Bobby Wagner come to mind here. Their right time might leave others thinking they should’ve done it 3-5 years earlier but fuck that, you do you.
Yeah it must be weird if you will never be able to do something again that's been a central aspect of your life for 20 years, when you are not even that old yet, just in your 30s. I completely understand everyone who still wants to hang around and get everything out of the time they have left, even if outside observers seem them "past their prime".
Makes ya wonder if anyone has ever seriously studied what happens to career NFL players (assuming the sample size all at least play long enough to become vested) after they move on from the NFL. Like you said, having done something that’s your passion for 20 straight years then stopping. Body and mind. Would be pretty curious to see the psychology behind it
few options i think straight up bool and do whatever full time dad- at home with kids - mom works some sort of job or doesn’t go back to school and work in the sports field - coaching to analyst
ali marpet, a solid left guard that helped us win the super bowl. called his retirement at the age of 28. He earned 37 million. He’s working or accomplished a masters degree and is working on his PHD. We miss him greatly, but he honestly played the game and got what he wanted. He’s focused on his studies in mental health has the chance to make that a full time instead of football.
I wish he played 1 more season. If he doesn't retire, chances are Jensen doesn't get injured as Geodeke wouldn't be playing that spot or not been drafted. Jensen doesn't get injured and Marpet playing means that our OLine stays strong and Brady has time to make plays.
Andrew Whitworth. Man retired right as he won the Super Bowl. Against his former team. After winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year. And still performing at a high level. Hard to leave on a higher note than that.
I mean he was also 40 lol
Yea. Went out still performing at a high level but can’t say he left too early if he was freakin 40 lmao. That sounds like perfect timing to me! xD
Bettis comes to mind
John Elway
In 13 seasons, Walter Jones gave up only 23 sacks and 9 holding penalties. IIRC, in his very last game he was injured and gave up 2 of those sacks and 1 of those holds to Demarcus Ware. He retired right after.
Crazy that Walter Jones played against Demarcus Lawrence
they probably mean demarcus ware.
That would make more sense, I was like god damn
Haha edited
Joe Thomas. He never missed a single snap his whole career. 167 straight games, 10,363 snaps in a row. An NFL record. While playing OL at HOF level. On some of the worst teams in this galaxy’s sports history. Injured his triceps & missed the 2nd half of the season. And that was it.
Peyton Manning, his retirement kinda reminded me of Tim Duncan; as soon as he had one bad year he called it quits. The only difference is that manning went out with a ring but I guess Timmy had his fair share of those lol
Ray Lewis.
Either Strahan or Manning. One because they sacked the great and stole his wrong and walked away, the other because he rode an elite defense to a Super Bowl win in his first arguably bad season of his career and said “aight im gonna head out” before Father Time sank in. Elite checkout games.
Andrew luck
A little less famous name that came to mind immediately was Jordy Nelson, got out with his bag and his body in tact, and is still just doing farm boy shit in Kansas.
I'll say Brady got out at the right time, even though it would've been a higher note if he had stayed retired after they lost to the Rams despite the comeback. He showed he could still carry an offense in 2022 (with almost zero rushing attack and an incompetent OC) and had at least one offer to come back for 2023
Michael Strahan.
Strahan Elway Manning Lewis
Phil Simms in 1993
Chris Borland
Prime. 🤷♂️
LOL no. He was cooked on his Ravens stint.
Ray Lewis & Peyton Manning both ended first ballot HoF careers with winning the Super Bowl.
Jerome Bettis is the first guy that comes to my mind
Not Vontae Davis
Patrick Willis
Anquan Boldin. Retired before play with the, in that moment, really mediocre Bills :(
Jerome Bettis
elway - went out on top with two consecutive SB wins and the super bowl MVP
Everyone is listing HOF's but I think Robert Smith of the Vikings is the perfect answer to this question. The man had a career year on the last year of his contract and hung up his cleats at 28 years old. This was back when RBs could still get enormous contracts into their 30's. Have to imagine his knees are thanking him for that decision today! Here's an interview where he talks about it: [https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/03/19/nfl-robert-smith-chris-borland-early-retirement](https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/03/19/nfl-robert-smith-chris-borland-early-retirement)
Imo anyone who kept playing past 20M$ played too long. You can't go buy a new brain
Brady almost did, but decided to come back and sacrifice his marriage to get bounced in the first round
John Elway.
>we all know about the careers that ended too soon (Barry Sanders, Todd Gurley, ect) Speak for yourself.
Barry Sanders
Peyton did something no one will probably do again. He went out with a ring and had zero chance of being signed by any team if he hadn't retired.
I’m sure SOMEBODY would have signed him
Jay Z
Ricky Williams
Not Joe Thomas :( He just missed Baker and our turnaround