Former 49er Patrick Willis Has Gone from NFL LB to Silicon Valley Tech Worker

Some professional athletes play out their careers and then just take it easy in retirement because the amount of money they made ensures they will never have to work another day in their lives.

That's not the way former NFL linebacker Patrick Willis rolls. He's still young enough to work, so that's exactly what he's going to do.

Willis spent eight years with the San Francisco 49ers, making seven Pro Bowls during his excellent career. Then, out of nowhere, he retired at the age of 30 in March 2015, citing long-term health concerns.

Nowadays, Willis is working in Silicon Valley at a tech startup company called Open Source Storage.

According to Sam Laird of Mashable, the tech company provides storage and infrastructure solutions to other companies. Open Source Storage has around 60 employees, with one being a former NFL star.

Willis' football resume—which is featured on his LinkedIn profile—speaks for itself. He was among the best of the best for nearly a decade in the NFL, something few people can say. However, he wanted to prove to everyone that he doesn't need to rely on his athleticism and physical talent to succeed.

"For me, this is an opportunity to be able to tell young kids that you can be more than just a physical specimen to be great," Willis said, per Laird. "I'm a person that can't speak about something until I've done it myself."

Talk about a good role model. Some former stars will just ride their names for the rest of their lives and expect people to do things for them. But Willis is working hard to get established in a new field.

"I don't want to rest on what I've done and let that keep me from doing what I want to do," Willis said, per Laird. "I'd rather be reading something or diving into something and trying to figure it out."

It's that type of attitude that creates a great work ethic. In other words, Open Source Storage has itself a promising employee.

If you have some time, the entire Mashable profile is worth a read. Willis' transition from the NFL to Silicon Valley appears to be off to a good start. Perhaps this is just the beginning of something big.

[Mashable]