What happened to Sam Shields? Former Packers star admits he regrets NFL career despite Super Bowl win

Defensive back Sam Shields won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers in 2010. Winning a Lombardi Trophy is the main goal for every football player at any age. In a recent appearance on Dan LeBatard's South Beach Sessions podcast, the 34-year-old was asked, if given the opportunity, would he do it all over again, in regards to playing in the NFL. And, his answer was "No."

Shields stated that he does regret playing football and that if he could do it all over he would have gone to school to learn about home improvement and construction.

“No, I’d be going to school, trying to work for home improvement. I’d be trying to learn how to build a house.”

His history with concussions cut his career short and is one of the main reasons why he didn't play football for 14 months in 2016-2017. He also mentioned that, after his playing days were over, his family and friends were no longer interested in a relationship with him.

“When you’re done with football, everybody forgets about you. Family, friends. I got one friend. In football, I had 10. Now I got one where I know that that’s my friend. That I could really say, ‘You’re my friend.’ I don’t even talk to most of my family members. Once football was over, everybody was over with me.”

Sadly, it appears that, although Sam Shields has achieved success at the highest level, the lifelong effects of playing aren't worth it to him.

How long did Sam Shields play in the NFL?

Sam Shields played college football at the University of Miami and was a wide receiver for the majority of his collegiate career. The majority of his time was spent with the offense and special teams. It wasn't until his senior season that he switched to the defensive side of the ball.

Shields went undrafted in 2010 but immediately signed with the Green Bay Packers after the conclusion of the draft. He impressed the Packers coaching staff through training camp and was named a starter to open the 2010 NFL season. He and the Packers won the Super Bowl in his rookie season.

In March 2014, the Packers signed him to a four-year, $39 million contract extension. In Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season, Shields suffered a concussion while tackling the Jacksonville Jaguars T.J. Yeldon. It was the fourth concussion that he suffered in his career and kept him out of football for the remainder of the 2016 season. After seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, he was released by the team in February 2017. He then missed another full season in 2017 and tried to make a comeback in 2018.

He signed with the Los Angeles Rams and played the entire season, making an impact on defense. The Rams made a run to the Super Bowl that season but lost to the New England Patriots 13-3.