It’s been an up-and-down 13th season for 49ers left tackle Joe Staley. The typically reliable Staley has twice been hit with injuries this season that have limited him to just four games. He’ll set a career-low for games played with seven if he finishes out the season. Still, the adversity hasn’t diminished Staley’s desire to continue playing.
Damon Bruce on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco asked Staley in an interview Thursday how much football the 35-year-old had left in his body. Staley said he’s ready to suit up until the 49ers tell him not to and hadn’t given any thought to retiring.
“I like to think I’ll continue to play football as long as they’ll have me,” Staley said. “And that’s my mindset. I’ve never ever thought about when an end’s gonna be. I’m enjoying this season. I’m enjoying the weekly grind and getting myself back. The challenges of this season have been different than seasons past. I love the adverse situations and you kind of learn a lot about yourself and how you respond and challenge yourself with daily with different goals.”
A broken fibula in Week 2 this year kept Staley out until Week 10. He fractured and dislocated a finger in his return, and that kept him out three more weeks. He made his return from the finger injury just in time for the 49ers’ thrilling 48-46 win over the Saints. Staley said games like that provide additional motivation.
“It’s still incredibly exciting,” he said. “That feeling we had on Sunday (at New Orleans) is nothing that I’ll ever be able to replace in my whole entire life, and that still gets me motivated. That love of the game is still there, burning.”
Staley told Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee that he considered retiring after the 49ers went 2-14 in the 2016 season, but Kyle Shanahan’s arrival and the team’s sudden change in direction rekindled Staley’s desire to play.
He’s been rewarded twice this season for staying in a 49ers uniform. The team gave him a two-year extension in June that included $28 million in new money and $17 million guaranteed. He’s now . under contract through the 2021 season when he’ll be 37-years old.
The second reward has come on the field. The 49ers are 11-2 after winning just 12 games combined the previous three seasons. The 11 wins are tied for third-most by a 49ers team since Staley arrived in 2007.
If he stays healthy and continues playing at a high level, he could get a third reward for his patience – his first Lombardi Trophy.
“I like to think that I can continue to play football for as long as they’ll have me.”
The thought of retiring hasn’t even crossed Joe Staley’s mind
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— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) December 12, 2019