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The average retirement age for NFL players is currently estimated to be 27.6 years old. Football players have relatively short careers, even for athletes, and their average retirement age is younger than any of the other major American sports.
NFL players may retire for a wide variety of different reasons, including a dip in their usual production and long-term health concerns. While it is one of the more rare reasons, several NFL players have retired for religious reasons. Here are three examples.
#1 - Khari Willis, Indianapolis Colts
Khari Willis was the most recent NFL player to retire due to religious reasons when he did so during the 2022 offseason. He was just 26 years old when he retired, spending just three years with the Indianapolis Colts as a defensive back. He played his college football career with Michigan State.
Willis had this to say in a message to the Colts:
"I have elected to officially retire from the NFL as i endeavor to devote the remainder of my life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ .. I am both humbled and excited to pursue the holy call that God has for my life which brings me much joy and purpose."
Willis claims a deep spiritual calling has directed his path away from professional football so he can focus on his religious mission. He will reportedly focus on ministry work full-time. Willis also had this to say in an interview with FOX News:
"I want to make sure that my prime is spent serving God in the greatest capacity that I ever possibly can, and really not just my prime but until I take my last breath."
#2 - Glen Coffee, San Francisco 49ers
Glen Coffee was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent one season with the team as a running back before retiring during the 2010 NFL preseason. He announced his to pursue a full-time life in the religious ministry, also stating that his heart was never really in football to begin with.
Here's how he explained his decision in an interview with ESPN:
"When you don't listen to God's will, you know, you're not happy .. Full-time ministry is not something that you can take lightly. When you commit yourself to full-time ministry, there's no turning back. I just want to be 100% sure that I consult with Jesus and pray about it. So when that door opened up, I had to take it."
Coffee decided to enlist in the US Army as a paratrooper three years after his retirement from the 49ers. He later returned to football, but as a running back coach with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
#3 - Chris Borland, San Francisco 49ers
Chris Borland had a standout college football career with the Wisconsin Badgers before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. He was excellent during his rookie year, but the 2010 NFL season would be his only one before retiring.
He had this to say in an interview with Frontline PBS:
"I couldn't really justify playing for money, and I think what I want to achieve, it just put me at too great of a risk. So I just decided on another profession."
While he initially cited religious reasons at the time of his retirement, he later changed his stance, claiming it was long-term health concerns related to head trauma as the reason for his retirement.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit FOX News, ESPN, Frontline PBS and H/T Sportskeeda.
