Every young athlete dreams of becoming professional, winning titles, reaping the fortune and fame that accompany sports stardom. None of these young athletes considers retirement when he fantasizes about a future as an athlete. The truth is, as hard as it is to get to the big show, staying in it can be even harder.
NFL careers are the shortest on average
Of the four major sports leagues in the United States, the league with the shortest half-life when it comes to career longevity is, without a doubt, the NFL.
T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is looked at by medical staff after an injury during the second half of a game ROB CARRAFP
Football is a demanding and very physical game. Players’ bodies take a beating from the moment they first put on the shoulder pads until their last game in the NFL, for the lucky few who make it to the elite level. It is not surprising that the average retirement age is 27.6 years, according to a study by RBC Wealth Management.
Most of the time players don’t have the luxury of folding. Many are forced to leave the sport at a young age due to injury or simply a lack of options.
Wear and non-recoil leagues cause short runs
The physical part of the game is the main factor when considering the brevity of careers in the NFL. Another thing to consider is that there is no NFL Jr. American football is not like baseball, basketball or hockey.
Most of the time it’s the NFL or bust for football players coming out of college or on the fringes of making a roster. If that doesn’t materialize, it’s time to look elsewhere. There is the Canadian Football League or the UFL. But most of those who don’t make the cut on an NFL roster return to their regular jobs.
Bradley Chubb #2 of the Miami Dolphins leaves the field with an injury ROB CARRAFP
Kurt Warner, the poster boy for the comeback
Now as an example to the NFL Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame member, Kurt Warner; The Green Bay Packers cut their fourth quarterback in 1994, and Warner had to return to Iowa, where he worked at a grocery store checkout earning just $5.50 an hour.
Five years after stocking the shelves of that Iowa supermarket, Kurt Warner earned the starting quarterback job on a St. Louis Rams team that would go down in history as “The Greatest Show on Field.” The Burlington native won the Super Bowl that year and etched his name in history as perhaps the greatest comeback story ever told.
Tom Brady was an outlier
From time to time we meet guys like Tom Brady who seemed to get younger with the passage of time and ended his career at 45 years old. Along the way, he managed to become the Super Bowl MVP at age 44.
While the legendary Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback may have been a rare diamond, there are other players who have also lasted in the NFL into their 40s, but most of the players on the list are kickers and most played more than 50 years.
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Quarterback Vinny Testaverde played until he was 44, before retiring in 2007. Vinny was a cult legend known for his tenacity and durability.
Obviously the position you play has a lot to do with active time in the NFL. A reliable kicker can last more than two decades. Running backs and linemen take the biggest hits and are susceptible to the earliest retirements.
2024-04-26 18:03:44
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