Tag: retired

Notre Dame quarterback retires from football

All the best to him going forward

Notre Dame’s quarterback room will look even more different than expected in 2023. Not just because transfer Sam Hartman enters as the projected starter or because Drew Pyne left for Arizona State, but because a veteran backup signal-caller has retired due to a medical reason.

Ron Powlus III has medically retired from the Notre Dame football team.  Powlus spent the last two seasons on Notre Dame’s bench, and with the talent brought in at the position (Hartman and freshman Kenny Minchey), he wasn’t expected to compete for playing time this year or next.

According to Blue and Gold Illustrated, the retirement of Powlus means a walk-on freshman that Marcus Freeman hadn’t even met until Wednesday morning is now the fifth rostered quarterback.

Powlus III, who played high school football locally at Penn, will almost certainly remain close to the Notre Dame program as his father, former Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus, remains a senior associate athletic director.

All the best to the younger Ron going forward.

Saints have 4 players accounting for $5 million in dead money for 2023

The New Orleans Saints have four players accounting for $5 million in dead money for 2023, but that number could soon increase five or six times over:

There’s a lot of work to be done in getting the new Orleans Saints under the 2023 salary cap, but don’t blame players no longer on the roster. For once, the Saints don’t have many dead money commitments from past retirements and roster mistakes — just four players are on the books right now who won’t be playing for New Orleans in the fall. As things currently stand, they won’t have any dead money leftover at all in 2024. It’s the healthiest this area of the operation has been in years.

But it won’t last. While the Saints are forfeiting $5,038,479 right now in dead money (per Over The Cap), that number could increase five times over in just a few weeks should a couple of free agents sign with other teams. And any players designated as post-June 1 cuts will factor into the 2024 salary cap mathematics. Let’s break it down:

Two-time Packers QB Blake Bortles retires from NFL

Blake Bortles, who spent two different stints with the Packers in 2021, has retired from the NFL.

Quarterback Blake Bortles, who spent two different stints with the Green Bay Packers during the 2021 season, has retired from the National Football League, per Pardon My Take.

Bortles, the third overall pick in 2014, played in 78 career games and threw 103 touchdown passes but never saw the field for the Packers.

The Aaron Rodgers saga pushed the Packers to sign Bortles as a veteran option in May of 2021. After Rodgers returned to the team before training camp, Bortles was released.

He returned as a backup on the practice squad after Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 in November. The Packers elevated him to the gameday roster as the backup for Jordan Love against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bortles, who turned 30 in April, played for five NFL teams, including a brief stint with the New Orleans Saints.

The Packers faced Bortles as a starting quarterback just once, beating him and the Jaguars 27-23 in Week 1 of the 2016 season. Bortles threw for 320 yards but was intercepted once and sacked three times.

Bortles was the third pick in 2014. Current Packer receiver Sammy Watkins was the fourth overall pick. Bortles and Watkins are two of only four players in the top 17 picks of that draft to never make a Pro Bowl. The Packers took safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with the 21st overall pick in 2014.

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Former Jaguars QB Blake Bortles says he’s ‘officially retired’

Blake Bortles still owns the Jaguars franchise records for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback Blake Bortles is “officially retired,” he revealed on a podcast Tuesday.

“I have not touched a football since January,” Bortles said on an episode of Pardon My Take. “I quietly, I didn’t tell anybody, I retired. I guess you guys are kind of the first to hear it publicly, maybe.”

When asked if he’d be willing to come out of retirement for a two-year, $15 million contract, he said “absolutely.”

“I’m pretty set with where I’m at with the decision,” Bortles said. “I think if someone were dumb enough to offer that kind of money, it’s kind of hard to pass on.”

Bortles, 30, was the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and took over as the Jaguars’ starter early in his rookie year. In his second season, Bortles set franchise records which still stand for passing yards (4,428) and passing touchdowns (35), although he also threw a league-leading 18 interceptions that year.

In 2017, with Bortles still starting at quarterback, the Jaguars reached the AFC Championship, although it was primarily a credit to the NFL’s second ranked defense and top ranked rushing offense.

Bortles re-signed with the Jaguars after that season on a three-year, $54 million deal, but was benched late in the 2018 season. Jacksonville released Bortles in March 2019 on the same day the team signed Nick Foles.

After his tenure with the Jaguars, Bortles spent time as a backup with the Los Angeles Rams, and was on the practice squads of the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers. Earlier this year, he signed a reserve/future contract with the New Orleans Saints, but was released in April after the team added Andy Dalton.

Bortles had a 24-49 record in his five seasons as a starter with the Jaguars with 103 touchdowns and 75 interceptions. He’s second in franchise history in passing yards and passing touchdowns, and he’s eighth in rushing yards.

Chris Carson saw numerous specialists but still couldn’t pass physical

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson saw numerous medical specialists but still couldn’t pass his physical leading to his release.

The Seattle Seahawks released running back Chris Carson on Tuesday with a failed physical designation due to a neck injury he sustained last year. The team had waited patiently all offseason with the hopes that Carson would eventually recover.

“It’s a big disappointment,” general manager John Schneider said via the team’s press release. “We took it as long as we possibly could with him, he saw a number of specialists, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to pass our physical.”

Carson was sidelined early last season after the injury and was not able to return to finish the year. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carson will hold off making an official retirement statement for now in the hopes of a dramatic improvement in the future.

“He’s been an incredible pro, a guy who brings an amazing energy about him,” Schneider continued. “His running style is what we’ve always wanted here in Seattle. He’s the type of runner that the whole team feeds off of. The type of player defensive players get off the bench to watch him run—they can feel his energy.

“He’s the type of runner whose style affects the whole team, not just the offense.”

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Cameron Jordan on Sean Payton’s sudden retirement: ‘I took it personal’

Cameron Jordan reflects on Sean Payton’s sudden retirement, admitting “I took it personal”

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A lot has been said about the New Orleans Saints hiring Dennis Allen as head coach to help preserve the team’s culture, and few players stand taller in the locker room than Cameron Jordan. Jordan spoke about the transition during a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. When asked about this immediate reaction to news that Sean Payton was stepping down from his post, Jordan reflected on a couple of awkward days in which he had to gather his thoughts.

“I went social media dark, I had to figure out my feelings first. It’s like when your life asks you how you feel about the new couch, I have to sit in it first,” Jordan joked.

Jordan is the longest-tenured player on the team, having started nearly every game he’s played since being drafted way back in 2011. As he went on to say, life without Payton was going to hit him harder than most: “There’s a lot of factors that go into my head coach, the only head coach that I’ve had in the NFL taking a reprieve, or a sabbatical, or whatever he’s going to call it. Because he didn’t say he’s done coaching, in fact he said ‘I look forward to coaching again,’ right? So you’re saying he’s done with me? I took it personal.”

Sure, Jordan felt empathy for Payton after so many years on the job. Few people have had a front row seat to the work Payton has put in. He continued:

“Look as a business decision he put 16 years of his life into the Saints. You know the amount of work that goes into being a head coach. I’ve seen him have the cot in the room, spending multiple days there, I know how intuitive his offense, Drew, everybody was, tweaking the machine that was the New Orleans Saints offense for so many years. That takes a toll.”

But at the end of the day, Payton’s decision to bow out now didn’t sit well with Jordan. He reflected on all the challenges their team overcame last season, and how now he and his teammates have got to keep on moving without the only head coach they’ve ever known.

“I’m like why you going to leave now? We’ve been knocking on the door of the playoffs every year, even in this tumultuous year, being displaced to Dallas, starting 52 or 53 starters, I’m going to say 58 because it’s a bigger number. Going through four quarterbacks and still having a shot at the playoffs at the end of the year and ending in the positive. What were we, 9-8? Teams prior to this we’ve seen teams get into the playoffs with a losing record,” Jordan paused, then finished: “For Sean to step down, it’s got to be bigger than football for him.”

At the same time, Jordan was congratulatory about Allen’s promotion to head coach, adding that they won’t hold his disastrous Raiders run against him. Though he did note Allen immediately responded to his text message about the news, whereas he didn’t hear back from Payton right away. Maybe they’ll have time to mend fences another day.

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Saints to honor Drew Brees at halftime of Thanksgiving game vs. Bills

Saints to feature Drew Brees at halftime of Thanksgiving game vs. Bills

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This is really cool: the New Orleans Saints announced that they will be featuring legendary quarterback Drew Brees during halftime of their Thanksgiving matchup with the Buffalo Bills, which will cap the NFL’s three-game holiday slate on Nov. 25. Brees will also be broadcasting the game for NBC alongside Mike Tirico.

It’s the first time Brees has returned to the Caesars Superdome since he announced his retirement from pro football earlier this year. Since then he’s gone on to offer color commentary with Tirico for weekly Notre Dame game broadcasts on NBC while joining the network’s studio for its Sunday “Football Night in America” pregame show.

And it should be a proper send-off for Brees in front of a welcoming home crowd, which is something he never got to experience in his final season with the Saints. Superdome attendance was greatly limited last year due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, so this is an opportunity for the Saints to really close a chapter in the team’s history by honoring No. 9 after his unprecedented 15-year run in black and gold, which brought New Orleans its first Super Bowl victory.

Fans in attendance will receiver a commemorative “Thank You Drew” rally towel, and all are encouraged to submit a 30-second clip of thank you messages and tributes at this link.

“My family and I are forever grateful for all the incredible moments we shared together with the city of New Orleans and Who Dat Nation,” Brees said in a statement released from the team. “What an incredible moment it will be, back in the Dome with the greatest fans in the world.”

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Chicago Bears TE Jake Butt has retired

It looks like former Michigan star and Bears TE Jake Butt is calling it a career as he was placed on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday.

It looks like former Michigan Wolverine star and Chicago Bears tight end Jake Butt is calling it a career as he was placed on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

Butt had a tryout with the Bears back in June and signed a contract shortly after. He entered camp competing with J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted and Scooter Harrington. The Bears also signed veteran tight end Jesse James to a one-year deal last weekend, possibly indicating the Bears had an idea Butt’s retirement was coming.

A star at Michigan, Butt was projected to excel in the NFL, but tore his ACL during his final collegiate game and wound up getting drafted in the fifth-round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. Butt battled various injuries during his professional career, including another torn ACL. He played in just eight games in four seasons.

With Butt’s retirement, Holtz, Horsted, Harrington, James, Jimmy Graham, and Cole Kmet round out the tight ends for the Bears.

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Saints legend Marques Colston hired as UNO adjunct professor

New Orleans Saints WR Marques Colston announced that he accepted a position with the University of New Orleans as an adjunct professor.

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Here’s some big news for a fan-favorite former member of the New Orleans Saints: retired wide receiver Marques Colston announced Tuesday evening that he has accepted a position with the University of New Orleans as an adjunct professor, and will begin teaching in their fall semester.

It’s a big career turn for Colston, who hung up his cleats after the 2016 season. He owned every receiving stat in the team record books after a prolific 146-game stint with the Saints. It was enough for him to earn the fifth-best spot in our list of the 100 best players in Saints history last summer. Oh, and the Saints also inducted him to their Ring of Honor in 2019.

Since retiring from the NFL, Colston has been an active entrepreneur with minority ownership stakes in several arena league football teams while partnering with his old teammate Thomas Morstead as partial owners of a New Orleans-based smoothie bar franchise. Colston pursued an MBA at George Washington University and worked with Columbia Business School in creating opportunities for professional athletes. He’s put together quite a diverse portfolio between those interests and his investments in healthcare and technology startups.

Colston also delivered the keynote speech to UNO graduates at their Dec. 2019 commencement, telling them, “Your work ethic, your ability to overcome obstacles and your willingness to persevere are the real keys to success. My journey has embodied that belief. There was no way that a skinny kid from Pennsylvania, who could barely get recruited out of high school, should be here today as the Saints all-time leading receiver.”

While he didn’t announce which course he’ll be teaching, Colston has plenty of experience to offer his students. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes next.

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Former Chiefs RB Peyton Hillis wishes he would’ve retired with Browns

A former Chiefs running back wishes he’d stayed with the team he played for prior to Kansas City.

A former Chiefs running back has some regrets about coming to Kansas City as a free agent and leaving his former team. Peyton Hillis revealed in an interview with Cleveland radio station 92.3 WKRK, that he wished he would have retired with the Browns.

Hillis was drafted from the University of Arkansas by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. After two seasons in Denver, he’d be traded to the Cleveland Browns along with some draft picks for QB Brady Quinn. During his first season with the Browns, Hillis established himself as a workhorse RB with 270 attempts for 1,177 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. It was a breakout season for Hillis, where he ranked inside the top 10 in several NFL rushing categories. He’d go on to be the cover athlete for “Madden NFL 12.”

“I grew a lot from the experiences that I had,” Hillis told. “Of course, I wish I would’ve made some different decisions in my career because I think it would have led to different outcomes. But overall I believe that I had a great career, especially with how everything started out. . .”

In 2011, Hillis dealt with some injuries and many believed he was suffering from the fabled “Madden Curse.” As he approached free agency, rumors ran rampant surrounding contract talks. While Hillis had the desire to stay in Cleveland, the team never made him an official offer which allowed him to go to Kansas City.

“Looking back at it — I felt so terrible because I really did feel like the fans had a misrepresentation of what was really going on,” Hillis explained. “I didn’t know how news was getting or how things were being said, but it wasn’t nothing like what they said it was. They would say they were offering me contracts that they weren’t and that I was denying them. They didn’t even ask me about any contracts because that was the lockout year. You couldn’t even negotiate contracts for the longest period of time. . . It was one of those situations where I think I knew I wanted to be in Cleveland. And so they’d tell me one thing and tell the news a different thing. It was just confusing and I don’t really know where it all went bad. . .”

Still, Hillis has his regrets about not finding a way to stay with the Browns. He joined the Chiefs in March of 2012 but would play second fiddle to Jamaal Charles instead of being the lead back in Kansas City. 2012 just so happened to be one of the worst seasons in franchise history. A 2-14 record, a player committing suicide at the team facility, banners flying over Arrowhead Stadium. It all ultimately led to changes that brought Andy Reid to the Chiefs. Like football in Kansas City, Hillis’ career also hit a low point.

“Honestly, I wish I would’ve retired in Cleveland,” Hillis revealed. “I wish that I could’ve played there for 10 more years. Even my wife said we loved our time in Cleveland more than we loved anywhere else, even in Arkansas. We just enjoyed Cleveland and every time we go back, we try to find an excuse to go back to Cleveland all the time even to this day. There’s a lot of things that I wish I would’ve done differently, not just for me but for the fans also. I was young and stupid, what can I say?”

Hillis would go on to play for the New York Giants for two years after his season in Kansas City. He’d deal with a number of head injuries that would force his career to an early close in 2015.

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