A few years have passed since the football world collectively pondered whether or not NFL players would begin retiring, or stepping away, at the heights of their careers at a more rapid rate. The more we learned about concussions, the more players starting finding their voice and expressing the interests beyond the game, the higher salaries rose, and as the backlash against opioids-as-a-pain-management mechanism grew, it was fair to wonder if a trend was afoot.
When Andrew Luck walked away at age 29, before the start of the 2019 season, many a think piece was written about what it meant for the league, as he followed a trend that included other stars of his era leaving the game by the age of 30; a list that included Rob Gronkowski (briefly), Luke Kuechly, Calvin Johnson, Patrick Willis, Travis Frederick and Doug Baldwin. And undoubtedly, more players will follow, and it’s something worth considering in years to…
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