Welcome to the final part of my retirement/possible return dissection of some of the NFL’s finest. This post includes my analysis of Andrew Whitworth, Lorenzo Alexander, and Jason Peters. Enjoy!
ANDREW WHITWORTH
Position: Left Tackle
Team: Los Angeles Rams
Age: 38 years old
Contract: Free Agent but wishes to remain in L.A.
Thoughts:
Andrew Whitworth is a very accomplished player with four Pro Bowls under his belt. He has played for the Bengals and the Rams and has expressed the fact that he wants to stay in L.A. I think that his family also has a lot to do with him wanting to remain a Ram since he’s married with four kids. For a while, I thought he was going to decide to stay with the Rams or retire but now, I see a change. I was reading an article on Rams Wire and Whitworth said that he feels that he has a lot more to do in L.A on the field and in a leadership role…buuuuuutttttt if it doesn’t work out, he’s ready for opportunity elsewhere. Because of this, I think it’s obvious he’s not leaving football.
LORENZO ALEXANDER
Position: Linebacker
Team: Buffalo Bills
Age: 36 years old
Contract: Contract is up.
Thoughts:
Lorenzo Alexander was an un-drafted free agent in 2005 by the Panthers making him a 15 year veteran. I think that he is extremely excited to spend more time with his family and he seems so incredibly thankful for his time in the league. He said that he could have ended up like some of his family members dealing drugs, going to jail, or ending up in a gang. He owes a lot to his uncle who helped raise him and helped him achieve his wonderful football career. Alexander signed a two year contract back in 2017 and I think that the Bills are definitely losing a significant leader in their locker room and on the field. He announced his retirement after the Bills final loss in the playoffs and I think I would have predicted his retirement either way due to his long career. Congratulations !
JASON PETERS
Position: Offensive Tackle
Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Age: 37 years old
Contract: Contract is up.
Thoughts:
Immediately after the Eagles last game which was a playoff game, Peters announced that he would be playing during the 2020 season. I know that the Eagles recently said that they are still thinking about bringing him back and are “keeping their door open” but initially I thought that he would most likely play this coming season but with a different team. I’m still sticking with this prediction because of his productivity this year. There’s no doubt he’s a great player because he is. He has been playing for 16 seasons and is a nine time prom bowler. *snaps for Peters*. Basically he didn’t have a perfect or his best season this year but it absolutely could have been much worse. I believe that he will play with another team next year because I am FAR from an Eagle’s fan but if I were one, I would hope they’re going to be making some good draft picks which might result in letting players like Peters go. Besides that fact, I say good luck to Peters!
Hope you enjoyed my dissections on players with big retirement rumors looming over their heads. Thanks for reading!
*Featured Image: (From left to right) Democrats and Chronicle, Bleacher Report, and ESPN.com
*Picture of Andrew Whitworth from therams.com
*Picture of Lorenzo Alexander from buffalo bills.com
*Picture of Jason Peters from ESPN.com
