Seattle Seahawks DB Antoine Winfield Retires from NFL

Antoine Winfield has informed the Seattle Seahawks that he is going to retire, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer:

Pete Carroll took to Twitter following Winfield's decision:

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports previously reported that Winfield would be released.

With Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner locking down the outside, Winfield was expected to fill in as a nickel or dime back. Walter Thurmond did an excellent job in that role last year, however, so Carroll apparently decided that the veteran was expendable.

Winfield may not be the same player he once was considering that he is now 36 years of age. The cornerback has played 14 NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, recording 27 interceptions in the process, but he is perhaps best known for his elite tackling ability.

After getting released by the Vikings, Winfield signed a one-year, $3 million contract with Seattle this offseason, according to Brian McIntyre of Yahoo! Sports.

Depending upon the language within the contract, it's possible that the Seahawks could save as much as $1.5 million by releasing him, per McIntyre.

Prior to Winfield's announcement, La Canfora speculated that the Vikings and Washington Redskins might have been interested in trading for him if the Seahawks decided to take that route.

While Winfield would have likely drawn interest from other teams, he leaves behind a solid NFL career as he steps away from the game.

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