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NFL players retire at all different times during their careers for various reasons. Most players hope to play their entire careers at the top of their games. When their usual production begins to fall off from its standards, sometimes this marks the appropriate time to retire.
Other players are sometimes less fortunate, including those suffering various injuries that may end their careers sooner than initially planned. Some players even choose to retire early to avoid the risks associated with further injuries or pursue other opportunities outside of the football field.
Here are five players who retired young for one reason or another.
#1 - Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during his six years with the Indianapolis Colts. He helped the Colts reach the NFL Playoffs four times and was selected to the Pro Bowl in all four seasons. He shockingly decided to retire just weeks before the start of the 2019 NFL season while still at the peak of his career and arguably before reaching his full potential. He was only 29 years old.
#2 - Luke Kuechly
During his run with the Carolina Panthers, Luke Kuechly was the best middle linebacker in the NFL. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards while being selected for seven consecutive All-Pro teams. Following the seventh selection, he suddenly retired at just 28 years old. Multiple serious concussions were the main reason for his decision.
#3 - Calvin Johnson
Despite playing just nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, Calvin Johnson is a Pro Football Hall of Fame member. He is one of the most dominant wide receivers in NFL history, including setting a single-season record with 1,964 receiving yards. He retired in 2015 at 30 years old, following an active streak of six consecutive seasons of eclipsing 1,000 yards.
#4 - Byron Jones
While Byron Jones hasn't officially announced his retirement quite yet, he's the most recent young player expected to join the list to call it a career early. He missed the entire 2022 NFL season while recovering from an Achilles injury and shared on his social media account that he has been unable to recover fully. He followed that with a message that sounded like he would be retiring immediately, referring to his career in the past tense.
#5 - Travis Frederick
Travis Frederick lasted just seven years with the Dallas Cowboys before being forced into early retirement. He was, unfortunately, unable to overcome some of the symptoms associated with Guillan-Barre syndrome, an auto-immune disease he was diagnosed with. He was just 29 years old at the time and had been selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls.
