Tag: Retire

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce reveals motivation to keep playing in the league: ‘Love going to work’

Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reveals motivation to keep playing in the league: ‘Love going to work’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce shot down rumors of a possible retirement earlier in the week. During Thursday’s press conference, he revealed his motivation to keep playing next year and potentially beyond.

“Early on in my career, I think a lot of my motivation was driven off of individual success,” said Kelce. “wanting to get that acknowledgment of my peers, of the people watching the game that I was somebody fun to watch or I was worth watching, or I was worth having on your team, nowadays I just love going to work with the guys that I’m in the building with.”

Kelce has the most postseason receptions, with 174 in NFL history, and ranks second all-time in postseason receiving yards with 2,039. Postseason touchdown receptions with 20, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

“I love sharing these memories. I love figuring out these game plans, figuring out how we’re going to attack a defense,” said Kelce. “There’s just a certain love that I’ve found in it, and I think it’s because of the people that I go to work with.”

On Sunday, Kelce will become the third tight end to appear in five Super Bowls, joining Marv Fleming and Rob Gronkowski.

Ex-Broncos wide receiver placed on UFL’s retired list

Trey Quinn, who went to training camp with the Broncos in 2022, has been placed on the UFL’s retired list.

A former Denver Broncos wide receiver appears to be hanging up his cleats.

The Michigan Panthers moved veteran receiver Trey Quinn to the United Football League’s retired list in late January, according to the UFL’s transaction wire.

Quinn (6-0, 200 pounds) entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick out of SMU with Washington in 2018. He later spent time in Jacksonville and Las Vegas before joining the Broncos in 2022.

Quinn went to training camp that summer but did not make Denver’s 53-man roster. He then signed a contract with Michigan’s USFL team ahead of the 2023 spring season. Quinn hauled in 37 receptions for 439 yards and four touchdowns that spring.

Quinn then spent a year with the Detroit Lions before returning to spring football ahead of the 2024 season. He totaled 27 receptions for 239 yards and one touchdown with Michigan last year.

The 29-year-old receiver is now retiring from the UFL, and presumably from pro football. Between the NFL, USFL and UFL, Quinn recorded 99 catches for 951 yards and seven touchdowns in 36 games.

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Bills safety Micah Hyde officially retires from NFL

Bills safety Micah Hyde officially retires from NFL

As expected, Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde announced his retirement following the loss in the AFC championship game.

Hyde, a 34-year-old former fifth-round pick from the University of Iowa, re-joined the Bills in December of this season to serve in more of an advisory role for the stretch run.

When he re-joined the team he vowed that he would retire after the last game of the season. Now, his All-Pro playing career has officially come to an end.

Hyde joined the Bills as a free agent in 2017, signing a 5-year, $30 million contract. He became a vital piece of a Bills defense that was starting to turn the franchise around. He was an All-Pro in his first year in Buffalo and went on to start in 95 regular season games and 9 postseason games. He recorded 456 tackles, 18 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles, 9 fumbles recovered, and two All-Pros.

Before Buffalo, he was drafted in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers in 2013 where he spent the first four years of his career. Misused as a slot corner in Green Bay, Hyde was able to find his home on the backend of the Bills’ secondary.

Hyde played a big part in the Bills’ transformation into Super Bowl contenders, even if they weren’t able to bring one home during his tenure.

Perhaps he’ll consider re-joining the team in the future as a secondary coach.

Ex-Broncos defensive lineman retires after 90 games in the NFL

Former Broncos defensive lineman Mike Purcell has retired from the NFL.

Former Denver Broncos defensive lineman Mike Purcell has retired from the NFL, his agent, Cameron Foster, told The Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson.

Purcell, 33, played high school football in Highlands Ranch and he went to college at Wyoming before joining the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2013. After four years in San Francisco, Purcell bounced between the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

Purcell then spent a season playing in the AAF with the Salt Lake Stallions in the spring of 2019. The Broncos signed Purcell after the AAF season wrapped up and he went on to spend five years in Denver.

Purcell totaled 166 tackles, 14 quarterback hits, four pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, 2.5 sacks and one safety in 65 games (37 starts) with the Broncos. He was not re-signed following the 2023 season and Purcell then returned to the Patriots.

After being cut by New England last summer, Purcell sat out the 2024 campaign. He’s now hanging up his cleats with 90 NFL games on his resume.

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Former Packers DB Micah Hyde to retire from NFL following 2024 season

Micah Hyde, a 2013 draft pick of the Packers, is retiring from the NFL following the end of the 2024 season.

Former Green Bay Packers defensive back Micah Hyde is retiring from the NFL after 12 seasons.

Hyde told Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News that he is retiring from the game and his playing career is over following the Bills exit from the postseason.

Hyde, a fifth-round pick of the Packers in the 2013 draft, was on the Bills practice squad to end the 2024 season.

Hyde played in 158 regular season games and 17 playoff games between 2013 and 2023. He spent four seasons as a versatile defensive back and special teamer in Green Bay, producing eight interceptions. 4.0 sacks, 227 tackles, 24 pass breakups and three punt return touchdowns over 63 games with the Packers.

Hyde is one of three Packers players (Desmond Howard, Will Blackmon) to return three punts for touchdowns over a career in Green Bay. His 738 punt return yards ranks eighth in team history, and his 93-yard punt return touchdown is the fourth longest in team history.

Hyde’s punt return for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 28, 2014 still represents the last punt return touchdown scored by the Packers.

Ted Thompson declined to re-sign Hyde following the 2016 season, and he went on to sign with the Bills, transition to full-time safety and produce two All-Pro seasons (2017, 2021). He played his final seven seasons in Buffalo.

Hyde turned 34 years old in December. He signed with the Bills practice squad on Dec. 4 but did not appear in a game.

Hyde will retire from the NFL with 24 interceptions, five recovered fumbles and five career touchdowns (three punt returns, one interception, one kickoff return). He was on the field for over 8,364 defensive snaps and 1,304 special teams snaps.

Ex-Broncos cornerback expected to retire from NFL

Former Broncos CB K’Waun Williams is expected to retire after sitting out the 2024 season, according to The Denver Gazette.

Former Denver Broncos cornerback K’Waun Williams is expected to retire from the NFL, according to The Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson.

Evan Krakower, the cornerback’s agent, told Tomasson that Williams is expected to make his retirement official in the coming weeks.

Williams, 33, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. After two years with the Browns, Williams had a brief stint with the Chicago Bears that was cut short by injury.

Williams then joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. He spent five years in San Francisco, emerging as a top slot cornerback. The Broncos signed Williams to a two-year, $7 million contract in 2022.

Williams played well in his first season in Denver, totaling seven pass breakups, one interception and one sack, but injuries derailed his time with the Broncos. Williams spent the entire 2023 season on injured reserve while recovering from an ankle injury.

Denver opted to not re-sign Williams last spring and he sat out the 2024 season. The veteran cornerback is now hanging up his cleats. Krakower told Tomasson that Williams is now working in commercial real estate in Florida.

Williams totaled 34 pass breakups, 11 forced fumbles, eight sacks and five interceptions in 105 games in the NFL from 2014-2022.

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Ex-Broncos quarterback unretires, returns to NFL with familiar team

Teddy Bridgewater is coming out of retirement and he’s returning to the Lions.

Teddy Bridgewater is back.

After winning a state championship as a high school football coach this fall, Bridgewater announced last week that he planned to unretire and return to the NFL.

Bridgewater is now expected to sign with the Detroit Lions, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Lions are a familiar team for Bridgewater as he spent the 2023 season with the Lions as a backup behind Jared Goff.

Detroit coach Dan Campbell confirmed the signing during his Thursday press conference.

“My team knows that’s the plan,” Bridgewater said during an interview with The Insiders last week. “We wanted to win a state championship and then coach goes back to the league, see what happens, and then come back February in the offseason, continue coaching high school football. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Bridgewater, 32, coached his alma mater, Miami Northwestern, to a state title this fall. He will now go on a playoff run in Detroit before returning to coaching high school football in 2025.

Bridgewater played for the Denver Broncos in 2021, going 7-7 as a starter. He has scored 86 touchdowns in the NFL, spending time with seven teams.

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Dolphins allow ex-Broncos pass rusher to unretire and return to NFL

The Dolphins are waiving Shaq Barrett, allowing him to unretire and return to the NFL.

The Miami Dolphins have had a change of heart.

A month ago, pass rusher Shaq Barrett announced that he planned to unretire and return to the NFL. Because he signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins earlier this year, Barrett was still under contract with Miami.

In order to return to the NFL, Barrett needed to either be activated to the Dolphins’ 53-man roster or cut so he could join another team. Miami initially choose neither option, blocking Barrett’s return by keeping him on the reserve/retired list.

The Dolphins have now changed their mind and the team will waive Barrett from the waived/retired list today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The pass rusher will still need a favor from NFL teams in order to play again this season.

If Barrett is claimed off waivers, he won’t be eligible to play until the 2025 season. If he clears waivers, Barrett will be able to sign anywhere as a free agent and play again this season. So Miami’s giving him a chance, but we’ll see if it works out.

Barrett, 32, spent the first five years of his career with the Denver Broncos, winning Super Bowl 50. He later spent five years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a second Super Bowl. The veteran pass rusher has 59.0 career sacks on his resume.

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Tyrann Mathieu hints at how many years he plans on playing pro football

Tyrann Mathieu hinted at how many years he plans on playing pro football, at which point he’ll trade in his cleats and, hopefully, coach his LSU Tigers:

Tyrann Mathieu isn’t about to retire from pro football and hang up his cleats, but the New Orleans Saints does have a plan in mind for what’s next. He was as frustrated by his LSU Tigers’ loss to their longtime rival Florida Gators as any other fan on Saturday night, and that got Mathieu to drop some hints about his future.

In a couple of since-deleted tweets on Twitter, Mathieu said he “cannot wait to get to Baton Rouge & coach,” and that he’s eager to “trade in my cleats for turf shoes.” But he has some unfinished business with the Saints to deal with first. Mathieu added he wants to “play at least 2 more years” before making that transition.

Patience has worn thin with much-hyped LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who was seen arguing back and forth with players on the game’s broadcast. The proud program had lost four or more games in only seven seasons dating back to 2000, but Kelly has done that twice in his first three years on the job. He isn’t meeting high standards, and famous alumni (with ambitions of  coaching themselves) like Mathieu are taking notice.

Hopefully Mathieu’s retirement is still on schedule and a couple of years away. He’s been the most consistent playmaker in the Saints secondary since he came back to town, and they don’t have a long-term replacement lined up to take his spot. But when the time comes, Mathieu has clearly put in the work to continue on to the next stage in his football life.

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Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion Cody Latimer retires from football

Cody Latimer, who won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos in 2015, has retired from pro football.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer is hanging up his cleats.

“Thank you football!!!” Latimer wrote on his Instagram page on Monday. “This game has taken me places i would’ve never imagined… Onto the next chapter!! 💪🏾💪🏾”

Latimer, 32, was picked by the Broncos in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft out of Indiana. He spent the first four years of his career in Denver, hauling in 35 receptions for 445 yards and three touchdowns in 45 games.

Latimer played 24 snaps on special teams and two snaps on offense in the team’s 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

After his contract with the Broncos expired, Latimer spent two years with the New York Giants. He later had a brief stint with the Washington Commanders before three years out of football.

Latimer returned to the gridiron with the XFL’s Orlando Guardians in 2023 and transitioned to tight end. After making the All-XFL team in 2023, Latimer joined the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas in 2024. He totaled 36 receptions for 391 yards and one touchdown this spring before being placed on injured reserve.

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Congrats to Latimer on his nine-year career in professional football.

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