The Los Angeles Rams standout defensive tackle Aaron Donald retired in March 2024, due to a loss of passion and feeling burnt out. Donald was selected for the Pro Bowl 10 times in the 10 seasons he played. He was also an eight-time All-Pro and three-time Defensive Player of the Year during his decade with the Rams. Aaron Donald isn’t the only elite athlete to retire at an early age. Here’s a look at some others who retired early in their NFL careers.
Andrew Luck – 2019
Andrew Luck stepped away from his football career in 2019 at just 29 years old after playing six seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He started hot, not missing any games during his first 3 seasons. He then missed 9 games during the 2015 season after getting hit with a shoulder injury, a partially torn abdominal muscle, and a lacerated kidney. After playing through the 2016 season, Luck missed the entirety of the Colts’ 2017 season due to multiple surgeries to repair his shoulder. He later returned to the 2018 season, playing one of his best football seasons, leading the Colts to the second round of the playoffs, and getting selected for the Pro Bowl that year. He was also named the Comeback Player of the Year. Even as a very successful year, that would be Luck’s last season as he would retire on the basis that he would not go through another season of unknowns and injuries.
Calvin Johnson – 2016
One of the most talented receivers in Detroit history, Calvin Johnson, nicknamed Megatron. He played with the Detroit Lions for 9 seasons and was a 6-time Pro Bowler. In 2012, Calvin set the NFL season record for receiving yards. Other records Johnson holds are the most consecutive games with 10 receptions and most consecutive games with 100 yards receiving. Megatron made his retirement announcement in March 2016 at 30 years old. He ended with 11,619 career receiving yards, ranking 4th in yards for players’ first 9 seasons. He announced that he was stepping away from the game because of health concerns and the lack of success for the Lions. Calvin Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Barry Sanders – 1999
Many consider Sanders one of the best, if not the best running back in NFL history. He played for the Detroit Lions for all 10 seasons of his career. He made the most shocking retirement announcement in the NFL in 1999 at just 31, a year after his record 2,053 rushing yards season. Sanders ended his career with 15,269 total rushing yards, 1,457 yards away from breaking Walter Payton’s all-time rush record, which would be broken in 2002 by Emmit Smith. He would be named to 8 All-Pro teams and 10 Pro Bowls in his NFL career. “The reason I am retiring is simple: My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it,” Sanders wrote in his retirement statement. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
