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From Barry Sanders to Andrew Luck, the NFL is littered with players who retired early. Many players had to retire because injuries cut their careers short. But there were others who chose to end their careers on their own terms. Rather than going out with a whimper, players like Barry Sanders and Andrew Luck went out at the peak of their powers. We profile them and look at some others as well.
From Barry Sanders to Andrew Luck: players who retired early
#1 - Barry Sanders, RB, age of retirement: 31
Arguably the most elusive running back of all time, Barry Sanders played from 1989 to 1998 for the Detroit Lions. He had an astonishing ability to make players miss tackles by changing direction at speed.
Barry Sanders' lowest output in a season was just 1115 yards. Sanders won the rushing title four times, was twice named offensive player of the year, and just one season before he retired, he won the league MVP award. Barry Sanders retired citing his waning focus and motivation.
#2 - Calvin Johnson, WR, age of retirement: 30
Another Detroit Lions player like Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson played for the franchise from 2007 to 2015. He never had a season where he had less than 1000 yards in receiving and holds the record for a single season with 1964 yards. With the Lions not looking to release him from his contract and him seeing no way out of their losing culture, Calvin Johnson retired at the peak of his powers.
#3 - Luke Kuechly, LB, age of retirement: 28
For a time, Luke Kuechly was a phenomenon on the field. He was equally comfortable dropping back and breaking up play as he was tackling at the line. Starting his career with the Carolina Panthers in 2012, he was named the Defensive Rookie and followed that up with Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls. He retired in 2019 citing the need to go in a different direction.
#4 - Jim Brown, RB, age of retirement: 29
Jim Brown achieved in his short career what most people struggle to achieve in a lifetime. Arguably the greatest footballer of all time, he played for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965.
He led the league in rushing in eight out of the nine seasons that he played. He was invited to the Pro Bowl for all nine seasons and was the league MVP three times. He won an NFL Championship in 1964 and retired with all-time rushing records in every category; his average of 104.3 yards rushing per game stands even today and he is the only player who breached the 100 yards mark.
#5 - Andrew Luck, QB, age of retirement: 29
Andrew Luck played for the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2018. Luck was selected to the Pro Bowl in his final season. He retired at the peak of his powers. When retiring, Andrew Luck mentioned all the injuries he had had in his career behind a porous offensive line, which had caused him to miss the entire 2017 season. Andrew Luck featured in four Pro Bowls, had the most touchdown passes in 2014 and was the Comeback Player of the season in which he retired.
