The Shrinking Shelf Life of NFL Players

[CCBoy]

The Shrinking Shelf Life of NFL Players
The careers of pro football players are decreasing at an unprecedented rate


http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-shrinking-shelf-life-of-nfl-players-1456694959



It would be no surprise if 39-year-old Peyton Manning decides to retire from the NFL after a pro career that began in 1998. But the recent retirements of Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo at the age of 29 came as a bit of a shock. Reports that Lions receiver Calvin Johnson at age 30 is also considering stepping away raises a question: Are NFL players having shorter careers?

According to data from Pro-Football-Reference.com, NFL careers are shrinking at an unprecedented rate. From 2008 to 2014, the average NFL career dropped in length by about two and a half years.

The decrease in career lengths is a historical abnormality. From 1991 to about 2008, career lengths were mostly consistent. But since 2008, players have been exiting the league earlier...

 

[LocimusPrime]

Players seemed to play longer when they had the big pads and used more thigh protection too. Pads have been shrinking and some players refuse to wear thigh pads. I wonder if this has contributed any.






They say modern players like the smaller pads for mobility reasons but i would think that the larger pads would absorb more of the hits

 

[Shinaoi]

I also think that some bodies just have to much muscle on them, and their joints and ligaments take to much strain. Country strong players who weren't ripped just seemed to last longer. But that's an opinion, could be completely medically wrong lol.

 

[JoeKing]

Steroids are bad.

 

[John813]

Interesting.

For the big names, it's not that shocking.
Guys like Lynch and Johnson have been paid handsomely up till now, and maybe are thinking about their quality of life after being in a physical sport for most of their life. Especially with this concussion scandal being the thorn in the backside of the NFL

Sure some old time NFLers would rather take off a couple years if it meant they could walk without pain, remember basic things or not be living off of pain killers.

 

[Titleist]

NFL players and men in general were tougher back in the day

 

[Direwolf63]

For many guys, if they are set for life financially, and they are no longer willing to put up with the pounding, retiring is the easy answer. Many of these guys have all the money they need by the time they are 30 years old. It wasn't like that a generation ago.

Mayo, Lynch and Megatron will never have to worry about money. But all 3 are pretty beaten up.

I expect this to happen more and more.

 

[DandyDon52]

lynch and many others can retire with millions in the bank......... It is not just injuries.
That makes a big difference.
kyle orton retired a millionaire, and he had easy bkup job if he wanted to keep going.
and he was not dealing with injuries, he just made enough to retire and run some business.
Some of these guys can use the money they make in football to make money elsewhere,
so they can retire and not need to be a sports announcer.

Many only keep playing cause they like to play and or they want to be on a playoff team . win conf champ, or win a SB.

Romo and Witten might be retired right now if they each had 2 SB rings, but since they like the game, and
havent got past the div round they keep going.

That other TE that just retired, he had never won a playoff game and he was desperate to do that
before retiring and he did do that with atlanta.

 

[robjay04]

NFL players and men in general were tougher back in the day

They were also paid a lot less.

I think financially, the players don't fee like they have to play till their mid 30s to make a living. Once they get their second contract, what do you have to play for if your heart isn't in it?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

With the CTE information coming out it is little surprise that LB and RB are quitting early. On a lead play particular to the perimeter when its execution on execution you have the LB and FB both with a full head of steam meeting at the hole. They are both trying to get lower than the other so they're leaning forward. WHAM!

You do that 4 times a game your bell is going to get rung.

It's the same reason why they got rid of the wedge on kickoffs and brought the kick back up. It's the same reason that nobody wants to play fullback in college anymore except the marginal and the stupid.

This is the new reality and you can talk about the sissification of the sport but no way on Earth I would ever do that and then go back out again myself knowing what it was doing to me.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I will keep saying it.....players are so much bigger and faster and stronger....that the collisions are borderline criminal. Defenders today are heat seeking missiles. When you look at the build of todays RBs....and how the position has turned into RBBC as opposed to a "bell cow". That can be directly related to the bodies inability to take only so much punishment. There will always be players whose ability would translate from one generation to the next (Jim Brown, Emmit Smith etc...)....but not all of the "bell cow" RBs of yesteryear.....would be "bell cow" RBs today.

 

[kevm3]

Players are bigger and faster than ever and those hits eventually take their toll. I also think a lot of guys are choosing to retire early because they've seen the effects on players who stuck around too long.

 

[CCBoy]

With the CTE information coming out it is little surprise that LB and RB are quitting early. On a lead play particular to the perimeter when its execution on execution you have the LB and FB both with a full head of steam meeting at the hole. They are both trying to get lower than the other so they're leaning forward. WHAM!

You do that 4 times a game your bell is going to get rung.

It's the same reason why they got rid of the wedge on kickoffs and brought the kick back up. It's the same reason that nobody wants to play fullback in college anymore except the marginal and the stupid.

This is the new reality and you can talk about the sissification of the sport but no way on Earth I would ever do that and then go back out again myself knowing what it was doing to me.

Sometimes the price of being a man is pretty steep...lol.

 

[Nightman]

The owners won big with the rookie salary cap.

They don't have to pay vets double or triple what they can pay rookies.

That is why teams have so cap space.

They need to expand rosters or QBs will start getting 40m a year. Plus it will help with injuries if teams could add 10 Special team players.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Sometimes the price of being a man is pretty steep...lol.

Being a man depends on what it is you are fighting for. Discretion is the better part of valor.

 

[T-RO]

The writer assumed that the shelf life has diminished mostly out of player's choice--a willingness to retire early. While that factors into it, I suspect a bigger factor is that General managers and coaches are more sophisticated with advanced stats now and aren't as easily deceived by a veteran's name and reputation.

In past decades you could lose a step (or two) and the decision-makers would still cut you a break...out of loyalty or the perceived value of "veteran leadership."

Less so now.

The window of elite athleticism has always been pretty small. The NFL is just starting to pay more attention to it.

 

[skinsscalper]

The writer assumed that the shelf life has diminished mostly out of player's choice--a willingness to retire early. While that factors into it, I suspect a bigger factor is that General managers and coaches are more sophisticated with advanced stats now and aren't as easily deceived by a veteran's name and reputation.

In past decades you could lose a step (or two) and the decision-makers would still cut you a break...out of loyalty or the perceived value of "veteran leadership."

Less so now.

The window of elite athleticism has always been pretty small. The NFL is just starting to pay more attention to it.

But a lot of these players are walking away on their own. They're not being forced out by their teams.

 

[CCBoy]

Being a man depends on what it is you are fighting for. Discretion is the better part of valor.

Many of today's quality players have come from the ghettos and have been fighting for all they are worth, for quite a quile. That is a hard trait to just reason away, for them.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Many of today's quality players have come from the ghettos and have been fighting for all they are worth, for quite a quile. That is a hard trait to just reason away, for them.

Sure but then when you've got recurring migraines and whole body nerve inflammation on a regular basis and you have been shown what it is doing to your brain by a neurologist it is pretty compelling.

There are times to take such risks and times not to. Leadership failed in that duty.

 

[CCBoy]

Sure but then when you've got recurring migraines and whole body nerve inflammation on a regular basis and you have been shown what it is doing to your brain by a neurologist it is pretty compelling.

There are times to take such risks and times not to. Leadership failed in that duty.

Accountability is key...there are people doing four to seven consecutive tours in Afghanistan and the region. Do they get properly watched over?

I'll tell you up front, their families, if they survive, suffer the most...but they are formed from the same level of team play spirit that is forged through the High School years. Just as in football for those that are able to walk their journey in the sport.

Leadership in the Army changed dramaticly following the ten years post Viet Nam, but accountability has great costs...and the NFL is just now taking responsibility for some of that cost.

Accountability is then reflected in the NFL coaching staffs. But some people internalize all harsh feelings and it takes a keen eye to differentiate when on the field and about it.