Andrew Whitworth put off retirement for at least one more year this offseason when he signed a three-year extension with the Rams back in March. The length of the deal was surprising, but Whitworth can still retire when he wants, whether it’s after the 2020 season or at the end of his contract.
When Whitworth does eventually retire, he’ll have to decide which team to go out as a member of. He spent more than a decade with the Bengals, but his tenure with the Rams has been quite successful with an All-Pro selection, Super Bowl appearance and the first playoff win of his career.
Whitworth originally planned to retire as a member of the Bengals when he left Cincinnati for Los Angeles, but he’s undecided. He talked about the decision he still has to make with former Bengals tackle Willie Anderson.
“Yeah, when I left there, that was really kind of the intention,” Whitworth said. “Obviously, whenever I’m done playing, that’ll be the decision I’ll make at that time. But yeah, at that time when I left there, that was kind of the intention. And that was really the only thing that – Mike was obviously not happy when I left – but that was really something that was important to him ask me about whenever I actually signed with the Rams.”
Whitworth, 38, showed last season that he still has the talent and ability to hold up against even the game’s best pass rushers. Although it was a down year by his standards, he was still the Rams’ best blocker.
Los Angeles made it a priority to bring Whitworth back in 2020, giving him a three-year deal worth up to $30 million with $12.5 million guaranteed.