Football is an all-in or all-out sport, especially at quarterback. The physical, mental and emotional grind is so great that dipping a toe into the water doesn’t work. And if your quarterback is checked out, your season is cooked. The longer Aaron Rodgers waits to declare his NFL future, the more the prospects of retirement come into play. Should he decide to return to football, it’ll be fair to question if his heart is truly in it. On Wednesday, former Buffalo Bills GM and Steelers’ executive Doug Whaley shared a cautionary tale of what can happen to a player who has seriously considered stepping away.
“We’re in Buffalo and Percy Harvin gets cut from Minnesota,” Whaley told 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show. “And we call him to say, ‘Hey, we’re interested you.’ And he goes, ‘I’m thinking about retiring.’ And then at the time, Anthony Lynn was our running back coach and I think our offensive coordinator. And he says, ‘I’d love to have him, but once you hear athletes start talking about retirement, they’re already retired.’ So we end up signing him anyway.”
The initial decision looked smart. Buffalo signed Harvin to a one-year, $6 million deal in March of 2015. Still an exciting offensive playmaker and dynamic return man, he got off to a hot start. Harvin scored literally the Bills’ first points of the season with a 51-yard touchdown in a Week 1 victory. Two weeks later, he led the team in receptions in a blowout win against Miami.
Then, things took a turn.
“About Week 8 or 9 we’re going over to London to play the Jaguars that week. He comes in and says, ‘I’m retired.’ And we’re like, wait a minute. It was crushing ’cause we were right in the playoff mix.”
Officially, Harvin was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury that “flared up,” per Whaley’s public comment at the time. But even then, rumors about Harvin wanting to walk away made the rounds. He didn’t play another snap the rest of the season and Buffalo ended the season .500 and missed the playoffs.
Harvin officially retired the following April. He returned for 2016 but played in just two games before landing back on injured reserve. He retired – for good – the following offseason.
Circumstances were different. Harvin was still in his 20s when he walked away. Injuries played a factor. But Whaley used the story to make the point about Aaron Rodgers. Thinking about retirement means you’re already there.
“If you start talking retirement at 41, is he going to be able to get over that thought process in his mind and be able to give 110-percent for the entire of the season?”
Rodgers has floated retirement before, though it’s a more natural question for his age. Since the season ended, he’s offered no public comment and largely been out of the public eye. Out of the country for the start of the offseason, he returned to California and participated in a charity flag football game over the weekend.
If Rodgers returns, he’ll surely maintain his commitment. If he signs with the Steelers, they’ll pin their hopes on him being honest.
Recommended for you