There have been 13 players at the age of 30 or younger who have retired this offseason, including former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who turned 31 earlier this year, has noticed the trend of young players walking away from fame and fortune. It's a growing list that features big names such as Calvin Johnson, Marshawn Lynch and Jerod Mayo.
But Flacco said he isn't worried about how the game of football will affect him later in life.
“I’ll worry about running around with my kids when I’m 50, when I’m 50," said Flacco, who has three sons under the age of 4. "I don’t have to worry about it right now. The main reason I’m going to be able to enjoy running around with my kids is because of what I do."
Flacco isn't close to calling it quits and wants to play into his 40s. In March, he signed a three-year, $66.4 million extension that included a $40 million signing and will keep him under contract through the 2021 season.
There are 11 starting quarterbacks in the NFL who are older than Flacco and there are five who are 35 or older: Tom Brady (38), Drew Brees (37), Carson Palmer (36), Josh McCown (37) and Tony Romo (35).
Flacco has been extremely durable in his eight NFL seasons. His season-ending knee surgery last November was the first significant injury of his career.
"If at some point this game takes that away from me, then so be it," Flacco said. "I don’t anticipate that happening, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep that from happening. But my kids will eventually understand. I’ll get somebody to run around with them.”
