NFL players who retired in 2022

The average age of retirement for NFL players is below 28 years old. They retire much earlier than any other career in the world and have the lowest average retirement age of all professional athletes. The violent nature of the sport, as well as the extreme physical demands, probably has a lot to do with that.

A lot of players choose to end their careers every year. Below is a complete list of NFL players who retired in 2022 following the conclusion of Week 5 of the NFL season. Let's start with the five most notable:

#1 - Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger is a legend for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is one of the greatest quarterbacks in franchise history and spent his entire 18 year career with the organization. He helped the team win two Super Bowl rings while being selected to six Pro Bowls.

#2 - Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski is widely considered one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. He won four Super Bowl rings and was selected as a first-team All-Pro tight end four times. He retired for the second time in 2022, this time from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after first retiring from the New England Patriots in 2019.

#3 - Andrew Whitworth

Andrew Whitworth concluded his career with a memorable 2021 season. He helped the Los Angeles Rams win a Super Bowl ring while also being named the Walter Payton Man of the Year. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in his career, while being named to four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams.

#4 - Clay Matthews III

Clay Matthews III comes from a legendary family that has produced many NFL players over the years. He is the most recent in their football bloodline, spending 11 years split between the Green Bay Packers and the Rams. He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times and is a two-time All-Pro.

#5 - Frank Gore

Frank Gore is best known for his consistency and durability during his impressive 16 years as a running back. He spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and the New York Jets. He earned five trips to the Pro Bowl. He is one of only three players in NFL history to record 16,000 career rushing yards. He is only behind Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726) in that regard.

Full list of 66 NFL players who retired in 2022

Jay Ajayi
Beau Allen
Ricardo Allen
Kiko Alonso
Danny Amendola
Blake Bortles
Brandon Brooks
Chris Carson
Jack Cichy
Cameron Clark
Jack Crawford
Gehrig Dieter
Jack Doyle
Andrew East
B.J. Finney
Kylie Fitts
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Kavon Frazier
Antonio Gandy-Golden
Eddie Goldman
Denzelle Good
B.J. Goodson
Frank Gore
Shaquem Griffin
Rob Gronkowski
Joe Haden
Chris Hogan
Wyatt Hubert
Richie Incognito
Malcolm Jenkins
Ryan Kerrigan
Sam Koch
Matt LaCosse
Anthony Levine
Brandon Linder
Alex Mack
Cameron Malveaux
Ali Marpet
Clay Matthews III
Jason McCourty
Rashaan Melvin
Whitney Mercilus
John Penisini
Malcolm Perry
Bilal Powell
Ben Roethlisberger
Ty Sambrailo
Emmanuel Sanders
Mitchell Schwartz
Buster Skrine
Jimmy Smith
Lee Smith
JR Sweezy
Ryan Switzer
J.C. Tretter
Stephon Tuitt
Alejandro Villanueva
Trae Waynes
Eric Weddle
James White
Tahir Whitehead
Andrew Whitworth
Khari Willis
Robert Windsor
Derek Wolfe
K.J. Wright