Aaron Donald, Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, Nick Foles, and Randall Cobb were among the notable NFLers who retired from football during the 2024 offseason. If several fading big-named NFL players accept reality, they’ll also hang it up after this year.
With that, let’s dive into a list of 10 NFL stars who COULD and SHOULD retire after this season.
Should these 10 NFL stars call it a career after the season is over?
Aaron Rodgers
After missing all but a few plays in his first season with the New York Jets, the four-time MVP returned to full strength and brought new hope to Gotham.
But the long-awaited Rodgers era in New York has been nothing short of a disaster. Firing head coach Robert Saleh after five games? Is Rodgers throwing a game-sealing interception against Minnesota because his receiver ran the wrong route? Is Greg Zuerlein missing game-winning kicks? Losing to the hapless Patriots.
Yikes. An even bigger failure than the Ben Affleck-Henry Cavill Batman vs. Superman movie.
A desperate in-season trade for Las Vegas Raiders superstar wide receiver Davante Adams — Rodgers’ old pal in Green Bay — did nothing to jump-start the offense, either. So much for bringing in all these former Packers to restore a winning culture in Green Bay, huh?
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Rodgers has the best TD/INT ratio in NFL history by a healthy margin, yet he’s turning the ball over at an alarmingly high rate. And you can also tell by his body language that Rodgers really just isn’t enjoying himself anymore. His heart and mind certainly aren’t into football the way they are to things like darkness retreats and spreading baseless conspiracy theories…
It’s sad that Rodgers’ career is ending on a woeful Jets team that can’t seem to erase the “circus” label. He can do the right thing and retire while he’s ahead, or pull a Brett Favre and damage his legacy by not knowing when it was time to quit.
Deshaun Watson
Highly-paid quarterbacks hardly retire before their 30th birthdays. But Deshaun Watson’s once-special career has spiraled out of control a la Antonio Brown, and he’s better off quitting now than putting himself under further scrutiny…and even more physical pain.
Watson’s career ended once the concerning amount of legal issues began to pile up. If you want to overlook that and focus purely on football — which the Browns obviously did — well, it’s still time for him to retire.
Watson has, essentially, been the worst starting quarterback in football since he started playing for the Browns in 2022. You can’t blame the coaches or supporting cast. Joe Flacco lit it up in his short stint with the Browns last year and got them into the postseson en route to Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Jacoby Brissett and Jameis Winston, for crying out loud, managed this offense better than Watson ever has.
A season-ending shoulder injury in 2023, followed by a season-ending Achilles tear in 2024. To say nothing of the torn ACL Watson suffered as an NFL rookie with the Houston Texans back in 2017.
Watson’s confidence has to be at an all-time low now. His body is absolutely beat up for a guy who hasn’t turned 30 yet. The Browns fanbase can’t wait to get rid of him, and no other team will dare take a chance on Watson once Cleveland gets out of his contract.
So yeah, Watson better just retire and stay away from football altogether.
Ezekiel Elliott
There was a time when “Zeke” looked like he was on a career to the Hall of Fame. He won two rushing titles over his first three seasons — including in his 2016 rookie year — and helped the Dallas Cowboys to two NFC East division titles in that period.
If he hadn’t missed time in the 2017 and 2020 seasons, Elliott would have recorded six straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career. Hall of Fame-caliber, indeed.
But Elliott’s career has quickly gone downhill, which is unfortunately the case for a lot of big-named RBs these days. Tony Pollard outplayed him in 2022, lost his RB1 duties, and was released in a cap-saving move.
Elliott fared no better in his one-year stint with the New England Patriots, averaging a career-low 3.1 yards per carry.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys made a mind-boggling decision to bring him back in 2024 free agency. And unlike a box full of chocolates, Dallas knew exactly what they were getting with a 29-year-old Elliott.
Elliott is barely averaging over three yards a carry in his second stint with Big D. Oh, and he was benched for their Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons for missing several team meetings. Did we mention the Cowboys are horrible this year?
Elliott can pull an Adrian Peterson and just stick around, hoping for the odd opportunity to pop up. Or he could make the right decision like Todd Gurley, accept his career is over, and walk away at the appropriate time.
Jordan Poyer
After uneventful stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, Poyer began to make a name for himself when he joined the Buffalo Bills in 2017.
Poyer and Micah Hyde formed one of football’s best safety duos during their run together in Orchard Park. Poyer helped a long-struggling Buffalo franchise to six playoff appearances over his seven years with the franchise — including four AFC East division crowns and a trip to the 2020 AFC title game.
But the Bills made the right call to release Poyer in a cap-saving move after the 2023 season. He had a special place in the hearts of Bills Nation, but Sean McDermott and company knew that Poyer was in the twilight of his career.
Unfortunately for Poyer, his 2024 performance with the Miami Dolphins all but shows that he’s done in the NFL…and that it’s time to retire.
According to Pro Football Reference, Poyer is allowing a completion percentage of nearly 70 when targeted. For the second straight year, the opposing QBS had a passer rating of over 100 when targeting him.
Poyer’s inconsistent man-to-man coverage was semi-made up for his strong run defense and ball-hawking skills. But he’s no longer producing in those departments, and his performance in coverage is truly atrocious now.
Poyer has clearly lost several steps and is no longer capable of keeping up with the younger, faster, and more athletic guys. Time to retire, young lad.
Dalvin Cook
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Dalvin Cook. If the Minnesota Vikings never released him, he still might be one of the more productive running backs in the league.
Cook’s first two NFL seasons were hampered by injuries. But from 2019 to 2022, he recorded the third-most rushing yards at 5,024 — behind only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb. And only Henry rushed for more TDs in that period than Cook, who had 43.
Cook was still a Pro Bowl talent when the Vikings released him in 2022, strictly in a cap-saving move. He rushed for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns, helping Minnesota to 13 wins and a rare NFC North division crown.
Sadly, that was basically it for Cook once the Vikings released him. He had a disastrous stint on the superteam-wannabe Jets last year, rushing for just 214 yards and no touchdowns before getting waived.
Cook finally landed a contract with the Cowboys at the end of August. Even in the Cowboys’ terrible backfield, he has hardly seen any snaps. That’s how bad it is. He can’t even get carries over Zeke and Rico Dowdle.
Like Elliott, Cook is well past his prime with his 30th birthday approaching. He might not be ready to retire yet, but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t. Cook would be lucky to find a third-stringer job on an NFL roster next year at this point.
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Brandon Graham
The Philadelphia Eagles lost two key members of their Super Bowl 52 championship team, Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox, to retirement in the offseason. If Graham plays his cards right, he’ll follow his former mates into retirement.
Graham returned to the Eagles on one-year pacts in 2023 and 2024 free agency. But like last year, the former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl 52 hero has been used in a rotational role and is playing less than half of their defensive snaps.
The Eagles have done a masterful job reshaping their front seven for the post-Graham and Cox days, led by Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, and Nakobe Dean. They respectfully don’t need Graham anymore.
And it only feels right if Graham finishes his NFL career right where it started: Here with the Eagles.
Stephon Gilmore
In a day where so many All-Pro defensive backs seem to hit the before-30 wall, Stephon Gilmore has defied science and played at a quality level well into his mid-30s. Respect.
Gilmore was still a very good cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys in 2022 and 2023, respectively. But age has finally caught up to the five-time Pro Bowler, who has shown that there really isn’t much left in his 34-year-old body.
The 2019 Defensive Player of the Year is allowing nearly two-thirds of pass attempts in his direction to be completed while yielding a passer rating when targeted over 90. That’s not average-level cornerback play. That’s being a giant liability.
Minnesota’s defense has been a pleasant surprise under Brian Flores, but Gilmore isn’t one of the key reasons why. His leadership and experience mean Gilmore will attract some interest in free agency, but Gilmore’s best bet is to walk away after this season.
Tyron Smith
The longtime Dallas Cowboys star offensive tackle will go into Canton in his first year of eligibility. But boy, has he ever gone from hero to zero.
Smith was still among football’s premier offensive tackles a year ago, but his first season with the Jets has been a giant disappointment. Through the Jets’ first nine games alone, he had allowed five sacks and committed six penalties, so much for beefing up the offensive line for Aaron Rodgers.
Smith will be 34 years of age next year, and no actual Super Bowl contender will want a past-his-prime veteran to be their starting tackle. The perennial Pro Bowler has had a remarkable run in the NFL, but this feels like the right year for him to bid farewell.
Joe Flacco
The longtime Baltimore Ravens quarterback and Super Bowl 47 MVP was close to officially calling it quits last year. Then the QB-needy Browns gave Flacco a call and brought him in, obviously not believing that he was about to have a Comeback Player of the Year campaign.
However, the Browns knew that the production wasn’t sustainable, so Flacco was allowed to leave for free agency. He wound up signing with the Indianapolis Colts to back up the injury-prone Anthony Richardson, probably knowing that it was only a matter of time until he got to start again.
Well, Flacco has come back to earth and looks like a journeyman 39-year-old QB, alright. He hasn’t given this offense the jolt it lacked under Richardson, and it’s clear that last year’s run with the Browns was a brief flash in the pan.
With millions in the bank and a championship ring to cherish forever, Flacco has nothing else to produce. So join us in suggesting that he call it quits.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Hard as it is to believe, Beckham’s last 1,000-yard season came in 2019. He has been decimated by injuries ever since, and it just feels like OBJ is better off calling it quits than putting his body through any more unnecessary pain.
Remember, Beckham suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the midst of the 2020 season. He got healthy and looked like a star after joining the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, but sadly, he suffered another ACL tear in their Super Bowl 56 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Beckham didn’t play at all in 2022. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 but had a “meh” season with 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns. OBJ landed a deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2024 free agency but missed the first four games due to injury.
So, not only is he always injured, but Beckham isn’t an impact player anymore. If there was ever a clear-as-day sign for a former NFL star wide receiver to retire, this is it.
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