Linebacker Jason Worilds was about to make a whole lot of money. The 27-year-old former Pittsburgh Steelers was the hottest linebacker hitting free agency after the Steelers refused to franchise him or work on a new deal prior to March 10. The suitors were primed and had money to spend, every team from the Arizona Cardinals, the New York Jets, the Buffalo Bills, the Chicago Bears… pretty much anybody that ran a 3-4 defense was going to look at Worilds and he could have even worked with his old defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau with the Tennessee Titans.
Instead, Worilds decided to walk away, retiring at 27 at the height of his career and on the cusp of maximizing his earning potential. Worilds announced his decision in a series of tweets Tuesday night.
I appreciate all of the interest from the organizations that have reached out to us the past few days.
— Jason Worilds (@WorildsGreatest) March 11, 2015
With that being said, after much thought & consideration I have chosen to step away from football as I have opted to pursue other interests.
— Jason Worilds (@WorildsGreatest) March 11, 2015
I am especially grateful of the opportunity to play before some of the greatest fans in football today.
— Jason Worilds (@WorildsGreatest) March 11, 2015
Despite any concern and speculation that may ensue, I appreciate those that are respectful of my decision.
— Jason Worilds (@WorildsGreatest) March 11, 2015
Worilds has been silent since that last tweet and, presumably, his agent is still fielding calls from teams like the Titans and Bills, looking to poke holes in his plans and get him back on the field. Worilds wouldn’t be the first player to “retire,” then come back after a year. Dallas Cowboys linebacker and now free agent Relondo McClain did it just last season.
Still, the very notion that this decision could be made by a player at the top of his game, healthy, with years of Pro Bowl caliber football ahead of him still comes as a shock.
How good was Worilds over the last two seasons? One of the best in football. In 2013 he had 63 tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defense. Last year he produced almost identical numbers with 59 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two passes defensed.
The truth is, if Worilds hadn’t retired Tuesday he’d likely already be signed already and likely making $8 million-plus a season. That’s what he left behind. Worilds made $9.75 million last season after the Steelers used the transition tag on him to keep him on the roster for one more year. They worked on a long-term contract before the 2014 season started, but couldn’t get both sides together. Then, at least, Worilds seemed to have no intention of calling it a career. So what changed?
Worilds will have to tell his own story and if he’s anything like past Steelers linebackers, he likely never will. CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanforna has an idea that Worilds is seeking a more spiritual path.
Worilds opting to pursue his faith and explore other options. Comes on the heels of Patrick Willis and Jake Locker retiring young this week
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 11, 2015
Patrick Willis wasn’t going to be a free agent, but he was a key piece in whatever the San Francisco 49ers were planning for next season and beyond. Because they expected Willis and Nevarro Bowman both back for 2015, they made no effort to re-sign departed free agent Dan Skuta. Willis missed 10 games last season after toe surgery, but every indication was that he would return.
Willis didn’t leave the NFL hanging on why he was leaving. For him, it was about the passion for the game. In a press conference Monday, Willis laid it all out.
“As much as I’d love to win a Super Bowl and to bring number six back here, I have to be honest,” Willis said. “I have to tell y’all that if I don’t have what I know I need to give to my teammates and the organization the best chance to win, then I can’t be out there doing that. And to be sitting on the sideline just collecting a paycheck, I feel like that would be wrong. So I stand up here today with that conviction. I understand the magnitude of what I’m doing today.”
It’s difficult to imagine a player like Willis, who was looking like an all-time great, just phoning it in, but that was his concern. So he walked away. Willis will now dedicate himself to the youth of his home state of Tennessee.
“Retired doesn’t mean you’re dying, it means you’re putting something to rest and going on to do other things,” Willis said. “I feel like that’s where I am. If I want to go fishing tomorrow, I’m going to go fishing. If I want to go and speak to kids, I can go speak to kids. If I want to go home and watch my little brother play baseball, I can go to do that… Life is amazing right now.”
Quarterback Jake Locker’s surprise announcement of his retirement doesn’t come with the same negative impact to the game as the two star linebackers, but Locker likely had a lengthy career as a back-up quarterback ahead of him.
Injuries have plagued Locker since he entered the league in 2011 as a first round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans. He missed more than half his possible starts with everything from a dislocated shoulder to a sprained hip to a Lisfranc injury. Locker’s body obviously betrayed him as a potential starter, but as a back-up and spot starter Locker could have flourished and bounced around the NFL for another decade. Locker is just 26 and like Worilds is a free agent so he can change his mind at any time. Quarterback Kyle Orton did last year and had a nice season with the Buffalo Bills.
The retirements you expect are guys like 49ers defensive end Justin Smith, though he’s not made it official yet. Tuesday cornerback Cortland Finnegan called it a career, announcing his retirement on Instagram.
And he even managed to call out wide receiver Andre Johnson one last time as he was walking out the door. We would expect nothing else.
