Jake Locker Retires: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

After battling injuries throughout his four-year tenure with the Tennessee Titans, quarterback Jake Locker decided to call it a career Tuesday.

Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first reported the news, and Garafolo passed along a statement from Locker:

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I am retiring from football after much reflection and discussion with my family. I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to realize my childhood dream of playing in the NFL and for the lifelong relationships I developed because of that experience. Football has always played a pivotal role in my life and I love the game, but I no longer have the burning desire necessary to play the game for a living; to continue to do so would be unfair to the next organization with whom I would eventually sign. I realize this decision is surprising to many, but I know in my heart that it is the right decision and I look forward to spending more time with my family and pursuing other interests.

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The Titans drafted Locker, 26, with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft. Although he flashed potential over his first four seasons in the league, he never lived up to the standards expected from a top-10 selection for a number of reasons.

From a pure on-field perspective, his biggest issue was a lack of accuracy. He connected on just 57.5 percent of his throws with 27 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in 30 games (23 starts) during his career. That resulted in a lackluster 79.0 passer rating.    

The more prominent issue, however, was Locker's injury history. Because of various ailments, he never played in more than 11 games in any season. Along with preventing him from locking down the starting job in Tennessee, the time on the sideline also made it tough to develop as a quarterback.

Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean provided comments from Locker back in December about whether he wonders why he's had such bad injury luck.    

"No, I don't," Locker said. "I have too many good things, too many blessings in my life, to get upset about a few little things like this. Obviously, it's frustrating; it's not easy to deal with, but I truly do feel that way."

With the announcement of his retirement, we will never know if he would have been able to shake his injury-prone label.

It's also worth noting that the Los Angeles Angels, who drafted Locker in 2009 and signed him for $300,000, control Locker's rights through August, per MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Yet Gonzalez pointed out that Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said they have "no interest" in Locker as a prospect.

As for the Titans, they have officially turned the page on the Locker era and look poised to move forward with Zach Mettenberger or perhaps a top rookie in this year's draft, such as Marcus Mariota.

The team had hoped Locker would become its face of the franchise when it drafted him, but instead, his brief stint in the NFL is now over.