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Luke Kuechly retires

That is a shocker. Wow.
 
Best lb of the last 10 yrs hands down
 
wonder if this is going to be a trend
 
Jeez. He's had his share of concussions and that's likely the reason for this decision. What a double-edged sword the game of football is. He struck me as a football junkie so I'm sure this wasn't an easy decision at all for him.

Good luck and God Speed, Luke. Was fun watching you play the game.
 
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Great player.....all heart,team leader. He had so many concussions,still young. I think he is the type that can transition to coaching.
 
Such a great player. I hope he enjoys retirement.
 
Another great player gone from the game too soon.

Better to have some quality of life after football.
 
The trend has already started. LBs don't want to play anymore. They're starting to retire before they get paid on their second contracts. Crazy.
 
Cope said:
The trend has already started. LBs don't want to play anymore. They're starting to retire before they get paid on their second contracts. Crazy.
Click to expand...

The money is so good now that they no longer have to have long careers to be set financially. With all of the attention now being paid to the broken down wrecks that played 30-40 years ago, expect to see more of this. We scratched our heads when Barry Sanders walked away, but he was ahead of the curve, and probably made a great quality of life decision, as has Kuechly. Good luck to all of them. I respect their decisions.
 
At one point in the near past the average life expectancy of an nfl player was something absurdly low for many positions... like under 60... it isn’t a bad gig to play for 8 years and bail... if you aren’t living like a dumbass you can live comfortably doing that
 
Article said he didn't have a concussion since 2017 and he did not say this was about concussions. But the media take is basically, Please say it's about concussions. It's concussions right, just say concussions, please, just say it.

I think a part of early retirements might also be more awareness of opioids. Guys used to take them by the handful. I think that's a big part of the health issues of the older players right there. If players now are less apt to take a bunch of pain meds, it means they have to play in pain more and that can wear on a person.

Players also have far more options now for a post career. There are so many media outlets, or you can even start your own podcast and do your own thing and make money.
 
He made a second contract, so he's set if he spends wisely. He was guaranteed 34 million under his last contract.

IMO, I'm guessing it's concussions, I haven't seen or heard him, but from what they said on the radio, he said he still loves the game and loves playing.
 
I would have loved for the Steelers to get him - he was my biggest wish during his draft year. Fantastic football player and student of the game. His technique and read/react skills have always been top notch. He will make a great LB coach, no doubt. I'm glad these guys are leaving the game and hopefully having a better/longer life. Best of luck to him!
 
Cope said:
The trend has already started. LBs don't want to play anymore. They're starting to retire before they get paid on their second contracts. Crazy.
Click to expand...

IDK Cope, I think in this situation, he and his doctors reviewed the data from the iMPACT collar he’s been wearing since 2018 and recommended future quality of life should be his primary focus.


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If the man wanted to hang them up, that's his decision to make. I'm sure the physical shape of his body and mind played a role in his decision making to retire. It would be silly to think otherwise.
 
His wife is very smart. Studied Biology, Chemistry. Very interested in the medical profession and field. She could be having a big part of this decision. Both devout Catholics, probably planning a big family (she's one of six, he's one of three). They've been together for a while so it's not like he spent his money being single and dumb or on posses of friends.

He's made something like $60-$70 million in career earnings. Plenty enough to retire forever.

As always, it will be interesting to see how he replaces that competitiveness and rush you get being a pro athlete.

I think he still gets into the Hall of Fame. He was that good. Top-3 in linebackers almost from the moment he came into the league and never let up. Every year was consistent.
 
Coryea said:
He made a second contract, so he's set if he spends wisely. He was guaranteed 34 million under his last contract.

IMO, I'm guessing it's concussions, I haven't seen or heard him, but from what they said on the radio, he said he still loves the game and loves playing.
Click to expand...

He should be ok financially. The "80% of football players are broke" thing is overstated because they're counting "cup of coffee" guys among the numbers. Of course low round/free agent guys who only stick for a year or two aren't going to have much of the money in 5 years. These guys skew the numbers. I'd like to see how many guys that earn a second contract end up broke. That would be a true reflection of what percentage of players squander their money, as any player who lasts long enough to get a second contract will have made enough money to last a lifetime if they have common sense.
 
A lot of the health numbers are skewed as well. Very large people do have more health problems than average sized people. Reggie White died in his sleep due to something sleep apnea related. Pretty sure that would have happened if he never played football in his life. Huge people also have more problems with their bones and joints when they get older.
 
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