The NFL is known for having quite a bit of turnover due to the nature of the sport… But once a player makes his name in the league, fans can sort of get lulled into a false sense of security that they will always be around.
But, of course, time rages on—and every player eventually succumbs to Father Time. And if the guy doesn’t play on your favorite team—or doesn’t do a massive retirement tour, sometimes, they can almost drift off into the sunset.
So… Without further ado, let’s take a look back at who has called it quits over the lats couple of years—and revisit 10 NFL stars that you already FORGOT are retired.
Frank Gore
Frank Gore spent years and years shocking NFL fans with his continued persistence and consistency.
This is because he played significantly longer than the typical expiration for an NFL player… let alone one that plays running back! One of the positions with the shortest lifespan in the entire league…
Anyway—the longtime 49ers running back broke into the league in 2005 when San Fran took him in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft—and had been a force to be reckoned with ever since.
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After all, you don’t just get to 16000 career rushing yards by accident!
Frank Gore was longevity personified… We are talking about a guy who didn’t retire until the conclusion of the 2020 season, which he played with the New York Jets. And—even in a diminished role he still found a way to contribute, accumulating over 650 yards and notching two touchdowns as part of the Jets running back platoon.
Of course, he wasn’t the same guy that we saw earn All-Pro honors during his second year in the league, when he ran for 1695 yards and eight touchdowns, while hauling in 61 receptions for an additional 485 yards and 1 touchdown…
But how could he be—that was well over a decade later!Either way… the point is that Frank Gore played in the NFL at a high level for a long, long time… And though it has been two years since he retired now—it is still bizarre to see check the NFL scoreboard on Sundays and not see Gore’s name somewhere.
Luke Kuechly
Luke Kuechly was one of the single-best linebackers of his generation—it is just a shame that he played his entire career with the Carolina Panthers, where he never really got the shine you would expect for a guy that went from Defensive Rookie of the Year to Defensive Player of the Year in his first two seasons in the league.
Kuechly led the league in tackles multiple times, and made both All Pro and the Pro Bowl every year except one.
Unfortunately, his continued struggles with head injuries forced him into retirement in early 2020, at the relatively young age of 29.
Joe Haden
Joe Haden was quietly one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL—ever since the Browns nook him seventh overall in the 2010 Draft.
He just never seemed to get the kind of credit he deserved, because he overlapped with guys like Richard Sherman and Darrell Revis, who, in addition to being better players, also created a hell of a lot more noise.
Haden played for the Browns for seven years, making an All-Pro team in 2013, which coincided with back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances, before jumping ship and joining up with their AFC North neighbor, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in hopes of actually competing for a Super Bowl.
Unfortunately for Haden, the kind of team success he was after in the Steel City never materialized—and he actually retired at the beginning of the 2022 season, never having even played in a Super Bowl. And his retirement, much like his career, came and went without much ruckus around it—as he signed a one-day contract with the Browns and rode off into the sunset, without most casual NFL fans even noticing.
Kiko Alonso
Kiko Alonso broke into the NFL in 2013, when the Bills took him midway through the second round, 46th overall, out of the University of Oregon.
Kiko’s career never hit the heights that people expected it to when he was named PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year, largely because he continued to battle injuries… But he was still an extremely serviceable pro for the bulk of his 10-year career.
After his 2020 season ended with a failed physical designation and a subsequent release, Alonso tried to find his way onto a roster a couple more times, landing on the Saints practice squad in 2022, but he lasted just one day before officially announcing his retirement the following day.
AJ Green
AJ Green’s NFL career started back in 2011, when the Cincinnati Bengals took him with the 4th overall pick in the Draft.
Though he had relatively modest cumulative numbers as a Bulldog, the University of Georgia alum was a surefire top pick in the draft, based on what he did during the nine games he played during his final year on campus.
Between the tape from that 2010 season—and the elite athleticism the 6’ 4” receiver put on display at the NFL combine—someone was going to take him early.
Luckily for Cinci, they were the ones to do so!
Green started off his career going for over 1000 yards in six of his first seven NFL seasons. And the one year he missed, he played just 10 games.
Unfortunately for Green and the Bengals, the injuries started to wear on the All-Pro receiver. A toe injury cost him a chunk of his 2018 season—and then he missed the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury.
This started a quiet cascade for Green, as his production continued to dwindle each of his remaining seasons in the league… Before he finally called it quits this past offseason after a 236-yard season-long output in 2022, during which he looked like a shell of his former self.
Clay Matthews
Clay Matthews comes from a long line of Matthews family football players… His brother, father, uncle, and multiple cousins all played in the NFL—so needless to say he was fairly well known when he was coming up through the ranks as young player…
Matthews, however, was a bit of a late bloomer and had to walk on at USC for Pete Carroll, where he played primarily special teams for his first three years on campus.
He first got the chance to start when his teammate, Brian Cushing, another future NFL star, missed two games with an injury in 2007, but it wasn’t until he really committed to the gym that following offseason that he became the physically imposing presence we know him as today.
Once he cracked the starting lineup though, Matthews never looked back. The linebacker parlayed his playing time into being taken 26th overall by the Packers in the ’09 Draft and went on to have a fantastic NFL career. He won a Super Bowl, made multiple All-Pros and was named to six Pro Bowls.
Matthews last played in 2019 for the Rams, the only season he played outside of Green Bay… and he had a renaissance campaign, netting eight sacks in 13 games.
During the heavily discussed 2020 season, Matthews got his first taste of the home life, staying home with his family—and apparently, it worked for him. The linebacker never ended up returning to the gridiron—instead officially and quietly retired ahead of the 2022 season.
Devin McCourty
Over the course of the New England Patriots’ reign atop the NFL landscape, they’ve had quite the cast of characters come in and out of their building.
There are two main types of players they had during that stretch, the mercenary types that they’d bring in for one or two years to help get the team over the hump—and the long haul guys… Like Devin McCourty… The players that stuck around, sometimes for a decade-plus, as internal diplomats that liaised between Bill Belichick and the rest of the staff and the players.
The Patriots drafted McCourty out of Rutgers with the 27th overall pick in the 2010 draft—and over the last 13 years he played all over the defensive backfield for them.
McCourty was a part of three Super Bowl winning teams, made three All-Pros, and tacked on two Pro Bowls, so needless to say his imprint was all over organization and the league really for nearly a decade-and-a-half.
Never mind the fact that he had a twin brother, Jason, who also played in the league for 13 years, which only deepened the McCourty presence in the league.
Devin’s durability during that stretch was something to behold… He missed just a handful of games and never played less than 14 in a season.
His last couple of years in New England, however, were a little bit quieter… In part because of Brady’s retirement and the subsequent drop in expectations for the organization.
So, when he announced his retirement at the beginning of the 2023 offseason, the news kind of came and went, which is strange for a player of his caliber and notoriety.
I think it is partially because he had done so much work in the media towards the end of his career that so many people were confused about his playing status…A portion of the fans outside of New England thought he’d retired already, while the other half just kept hearing his name in the news and the fact that he was done playing football never really settled in.
But—the fact of the matter is—when the 2023 season kicks off, the Patriots’ long-time defensive back will be in the booth and not on the gridiron—so here is your early reminder!
Dont’a Hightower
Dont’a Hightower has had one of the more successful football careers in recent memory… He started as a true freshman at Alabama, and proceeded to win Two national championships, though one of them came while he was out with a torn ACL in ’09.
Then, went on to the NFL, where he had the good fortune of being taken 25th overall by the New England Patriots, where he became an All-Pro linebacker—and was a crucial factor in the second leg of the Brady dynasty, helping the Pats to win three Super Bowls.
Help might be an understatement… Hightower was well known for making big time plays when the pressure was on. There was the legendary strip sack that he had against Atlanta… and a critical tackle at the goal line against Seattle…
Then he netted two sacks in the epic defensive performance against the Rams in Super Bowl 53.
The man could flat out play. But after his contract expired in 2021, Hightower quietly sat out the entire 2022 season, his second in three years, as he opted out in 2020 due to Covid-19… and then announced his retirement in March of this year via an essay on the Players tribune.
So, if the Patriots are making a playoff push this year, don’t expect to see the new 33-year old surging into the opponents’ backfield! Someone else will have to step up now.
Maurkice Pouncey
Ever since Maurkice Pouncey was taken 18th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, he was one of the top offensive linemen in the game.
Pouncey was the pinnacle of consistency, making five All Pros, and nine Pro Bowls during his 10 full seasons.
And there was really just the one season that was legitimately affected by injuries, 2013, when he missed all but one game with a torn ACL and MCL, when teammate David DeCastro accidentally rolled up on him during a game against the Tennessee Titans.
Of course, beyond his explosive play on the field, Pouncey was also well-known around the league for brash attitude, perhaps best exemplified by his involvement in the Myles Garrett / Mason Rudolph beef of 2019.
Pouncey’s retirement came in February of 2021, uncoincidentally alongside his twin brother, Mike, as both wrapped up very successful 11-year careers.
Thomas Davis
Thomas Davis first joined the NFL as a member of the Carolina Panthers, following him being selected 14th overall out of Georgia in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Interestingly, Davis was drafted as a safety, before being moved to linebacker during the team’s training camp.
Unfortunately, the early part of Davis’ career was marred by injuries. He missed most 2009 and 2011—and all of 2010 with consecutive ACL tears.
It was after this that he earned the rare distinction of being the first known player to successfully return to active competition after blowing out the same ACL three times… and this was where Davis’ career really started.
After returning to action, he was able to make All Pro and the Pro Bowl for the first time—and was a part of those fierce Panthers defenses in the mid-2010s.
Davis first flirted with retirement in 2018, announcing it would be his last season, but perhaps catching a four-game PED suspension changed his mind.
He proceeded to play two more seasons outside of Carolina, one with the Chargers in 2019—and half of the 2020 season with the Commanders.
During that stretch it became clear that Davis was done—and Washington released him the following offseason, so he could sign a one-day contract with the Panthers and official retire with the team that he made his name on.
Which NFL star did you forget is on a new team in 2023? Did we miss anyone?
