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From the Gridiron to Retirement: Why?
All NFL stars eventually have to call it quits, but few do it in their prime. So why do some retire early? Throughout this article, we will look at three stars who went from the gridiron to retirement earlier than they should have. A gunslinger in Andrew Luck, one of the best stretches of a receiver in NFL history Sterling Sharpe, and a monster on defense, Luke Keuchly.
Andrew Luck
According to Pro Football Reference, in 6 seasons: 62 % Win Percentage, 61% completion, 23,671 total yards, TD/INT ratio: 171/83
Awards: 4x Pro Bowl, Comeback Player of the Year.
Why did he retire? After various injuries throughout the year, Luck lost his love for the game and didn’t want to risk his future in football. Many say he could’ve ended up being one of the great quarterbacks of this generation. Left in his prime and will forever leave a question mark on his career.
Sterling Sharpe
According to Pro Football Reference, through 7 seasons: 595 receptions, 8134 yards, 65 TD’s.
Awards: 5x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, Hall of Fame.
What was the reason for retirement? This is one of the saddest stories in all of football. Sharpe was on pace to end up as one of the great wide receivers of all time when he had to retire in the prime of his career due to a severe neck injury. We can only imagine the great career he would have had. The stats that he had put up in those 7 seasons was one of the greatest 7 year stretches of any wide reciever in NFL history.
Luke Keuchly
According to Pro Football reference, through 8 seasons: 1092 combined tackles, 75 tackles for loss, 7 forced fumbles, and 18 interceptions
Awards: 7x Pro Bowl, 5x All-Pro, DPOY.
Why retirement? Kuechly claims that due to him suffering many head injuries, he decided to prioritize his mental health. Although he was known as one of the great LBs in the 2010s, it would’ve been special to see him play out his career.
From the Gridiron to Retirement, these athletes had to do what was best for them and their lives. As a fan, it would have been a beautiful thing to see how all these guys’ careers played out. Sometimes you have to appreciate what these guys did in their short time.
