Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly announced his retirement in an emotional video released by the team last night. The news came as a shock. After all, he still had two years left on his contract and was still playing the game at a relatively high level, even if it no longer matched his high standard.

Walking away now means Kuechly joins a growing list of NFL superstars who decided to hang it up early. Here are some of the best of them.

49ers LB Patrick Willis

Stats: 112 games, 950 combined tackles, 60 tackles for a loss, 20.5 sacks, eight interceptions, 16 forced fumbles

Awards: Defensive Rookie of the Year, seven Pro Bowls, five first-team All Pros

What happened: Willis’ career was eerily similar to Kuechly’s. For a while he was the top middle linebacker in the game. Injuries cut his career short, though. At different points, he had hand, knee, toe and Achilles injuries. Six weeks into the 2014 season, he was put on injured reserve. He never played another game and officially retired March 10, 2015.