Chris Borland and 10 NFL Players Who Retired Way Too Young

By Seth Lassen

10 NFL Players Who Retired Way Too Young

Chris Borland — If NFL players retiring early wasn't a trend already, it is now. Patrick Willis, Jake Locker, and Jason Worilds had already shocked the NFL world this offseason by retiring long before anyone expected them to. Now, at just 24, 49ers inside linebacker Chris Borland is retiring from football.

Borland wasn't the first and he won't be the last. Here are 10 NFL players who retired way too young.

10. Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders Detroit Lions

10. Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders Detroit Lions — Despite playing just ten years in the NFL, Sanders is considered one of the greatest running backs of all time. He spent his entire career with the Detroit Lions and never missed a Pro Bowl. He retired at 30 years old, only 1,457 yards short of passing Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Sanders was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

9. Jake Locker

Jake Locker

9. Jake Locker

JakeLocker TennesseeTitans — Locker never had nearly as successful of a career as the other players on this list, but his early retirement was just as shocking. Locker was a highly-touted prospect throughout his playing days at the University of Washington. Expected to be selected with the first-overall pick once he declared, Locker fell to the Titans at No. 8 in the 2011 draft. He retired because he felt he no longer had the “burning desire to play the game for a living.”

8. Jim Brown

Jim Brown

8. Jim Brown

Jim Brown — Some consider Brown to be the greatest professional football player of all time. He made the Pro Bowl all nine years of his career and was the NFL rushing champion eight times. At the time of his retirement, Brown’s 12,312 rushing yards and 126 touchdowns were both NFL records.

7. Robert Smith

Robert Smith

7. Robert Smith

Robert Smith — Smith played eight years for the Minnesota Vikings from 1993 to 2000. He was named to two Pro Bowl teams and left football at the peak of his career. After leading the NFL in rushing yards with 1,521 in 2000, Smith walked away from football. His goal was always to retire from the sport healthy.

6. Gale Sayers

Gale Sayers

6. Gale Sayers

Gale Sayers — Sayers retired at the young age of 28 and became the youngest person to ever be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a four-time Pro Bowl running back and two-time NFL rushing champion for the Chicago Bears during his career from 1965 to 1971.

5. Jason Worilds

worilds

5. Jason Worilds

worilds — The former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker was expected to be paid handsomely as a free agent this offseason before he decided to retire. Worilds was just 27 years old and still in the prime of his career. He walked away from the game due to a desire to pursue other interests.

4. Rashard Mendenhall

Rashard Mendenhall

4. Rashard Mendenhall

Rashard Mendenhall — The No. 23 overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mendenhall retired at the age of 26. The one-time Super Bowl champion said, “Football was pretty cool, but I don’t want to play anymore. I want to travel the world and write!”

3. Tony Boselli

Tony Boselli

3. Tony Boselli

Tony Boselli — Boselli was the first ever draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The dominant offensive tackle was named to five Pro Bowls and was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s. He was picked up by the Houston Texans in the 2002 expansion draft, but never ended up playing for them because of an injury. Boselli retired at 29 years of age after just six years with the Jaguars.

2. Glen Coffee

Glen Coffee San Francisco 49ers

2. Glen Coffee

Glen Coffee San Francisco 49ers — Coffee was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2009 Draft. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star retired in 2010, after just one season in the NFL. Coffee said the reason for his retirement was that his heart was never in football and that he believes God wants him to take another path. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 2013 to become a paratrooper.

1. Chris Borland

Chris Borland

1. Chris Borland

Chris Borland — The 49ers inside linebacker is the latest NFL player to retire at a young age. Just 24 years old, Borland was set to start in place of the recently retired Patrick Willis. Borland retired because of concerns about effects of head trauma. He certainly won’t be the last player we see retire at such a young age.

Seth Lassen is a writer for RantSports. “Like” him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @Seth_Lassen.

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