Should I Stay or Should I Go: Athletes Who Can't Walk Away
In an ideal world, a career isn’t something with an expiration date—you do your job because you love it, not just because it pays the bills. For most, however, working is a phase of life to be followed by retirement. Your job is at times fun and rewarding but, as a whole, is best characterized as an economic necessity. You work and save money, and then sometime later in life—when your hair is gray—you go on a permanent vacation (hopefully).
Retirement is supposed to be a kind of reward for decades of willfully participating in the daily grind. And when the time comes, there’s no hedging on the decision to trade conferences for cruise-lines.
For the professional athlete, work can be just as tedious as a nine-to-five job…and then some. But their careers are tied to a unique skill set that cannot be created by virtue of having a college degree. Not only is a pro athlete’s talent rare, but it's fundamentally unteachable. So, they are generally very good at their jobs and always have been. Combine a lifetime of success with the fact that they dedicate their comparatively brief careers to doing something fun—playing a sport—and it’s not hard to understand why retirement isn’t inherently rewarding.
For athletes approaching retirement, their ability to produce has an expiration date, even if the job doesn’t; retirement is often something they have to do, rather than really want to do. But some pros simply can’t take the plunge into the next phase of their lives. They’re older and slower but still have gas left in the tank. And until they simply can’t do the job, or can’t get one, the decision to retire is always up in the air (even when the writing is on the wall).
These are athletes who can’t walk away.
Randy Moss
1 of 12
Age: 38 years (39 in February)
Seasons: 14
Wide receiver Randy Moss last played for the 49ers in 2012, when he tagged along on a joyride all the way to the Super Bowl. But considering his noteworthy lack of production in San Francisco, his sitting out the entire 2011 season and the fact that three teams kicked him to the curb in 2010, his career has been over for much longer. For all intents and purposes, Moss’ final full season with the Patriots in 2009 was the end of his career.
He’s been gone for three years, now working as an analyst for Fox, and though he never seemed to enjoy the game that much when he was actually playing, for some reason Moss refuses to let sleeping dogs lie. In November 2014, he said that he would be willing to un-retire to play for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Much more recently, Moss told co-host Curt Menefee during a preseason broadcast that he continues to train during the offseason and that he has “not lost the itch.”
Verdict: Just stop it already. It's over.
Kobe Bryant
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Age: 37 years
Seasons: 19
For most of his career, superstar Kobe Bryant was one of the most talented and fiercely competitive players in the NBA. These days he’s probably best recognized as the dude hanging out courtside at Lakers games—the guy in the suit sitting next to Steve Nash, also in a suit.
Despite playing a grand total of 41 games (out of a possible 164) over the last two seasons, a suddenly injury-plagued Bryant has no concrete plans to retire. Which may come as a surprise to his general manager Mitch Kupchak, who in May claimed Kobe had told him the upcoming 2015-16 season would be his last. That statement was directly refuted by Bryant in August, who said he remains undecided about his retirement plans.
Verdict: It would have been nice to see Kobe Bryant walk away while he was still on top, but since that ship has long since sailed, what’s the difference? He’ll play as long as he wants because nobody can stand up to him.
CC Sabathia
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Age: 35 years
Seasons: 15
In 2011, pitcher CC Sabathia was in the midst of what would be three consecutive All-Star seasons (for six total). That October the Yankees extended his contract through 2016, with an option for 2017, paying an average of $23.6 million per season. When Sabathia went down in July 2014 with a knee injury, many thought the season-ending injury could also be career-ending. Retirement speculation turned out to be unfounded, as Sabathia stubbornly battled his way back to the mound for the 2015 season, much to the chagrin of the Yankees.
After struggling mightily throughout the season, a shell of his former self, Sabathia went down again with a knee injury, this time as the team fell out of first place. With the postseason suddenly in doubt and Sabathia due $25 million next year, all the Yanks can do is sit quietly and hope he sees the writing on the wall and decides to walk away.
Verdict: Please, make it stop. You can’t blame CC Sabathia for not wanting to end his career with a midseason knee injury, but you can blame him for not ending it after the current season.
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Sergei Gonchar
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Age: 41 years
Seasons: 20
Currently No. 5 on the list of the NHL’s active players with the most games played, Russia’s Sergei Gonchar was once one of the best scoring defensemen in the game. A decade into his career, his production peaked early during a five-year stint with the Penguins. During his first three seasons in Pittsburgh, Gonchar averaged 63 points in the regular season and missed just 11 out of a total 246 games.
However, his point production and ability to stay health have been on the decline since 2008. So it made sense in July when Sports Illustrated listed Gonchar among the free agents most likely to retire—if anything, it was long overdue. What made less sense was the Penguins' decision to sign Gonchar to a professional tryout contract in August. Granted, it’s not much of a financial risk for Pittsburgh, but revisiting the past almost never works out as well as people hope.
Verdict: Sergei Gonchar had a great career. The operative word being had.
Reggie Wayne
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Age: 36 years (37 in November)
Seasons: 14
Already No. 8 on the NFL’s all-time receiving list, wideout Reggie Wayne is within 1,000 yards of the No. 3 spot and less than 2,000 away from Terrell Owens at No. 2. After struggling with injuries and a sharp decline in production with the Colts over the last two seasons, Wayne was publicly pondering retirement in December 2014.
He was given the perfect opportunity to walk away three months later, when he learned of Indy’s decision not to re-sign him. Shortly thereafter Wayne revealed he wasn’t quite ready to call it quits, hoping to play one more year and retire a Colt following the 2015 season. Instead, he’ll be finishing in Foxborough—Wayne was signed by the Patriots in late August.
Verdict: Let the man play! And quit calling him a traitor, Colts fans. Andrew Luck shouldn’t have to tell you that.
Ichiro Suzuki
6 of 12
Age: 41 years (42 in October)
Seasons: 15
Maybe Ichiro Suzuki is hanging on because he really wants to become Mr. 3,000 (at the time of publication he’s just 73 hits away) or maybe he’s just really stubborn. It’s a testament to his success that retirement didn’t become the only obvious choice until his final two years with the Yankees, who didn’t re-sign him following the 2014 season. While the choice may have been obvious to us, it wasn’t for the 10-time All-Star, who signed a one-year deal with the Marlins in January.
Ichiro is a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock, but the reality is that he’s been in sharp decline since 2010. Now relegated to permanent replacement-player status, he’s been in and out of the lineup in Miami throughout the season. Ichiro is still periodically breaking records and reaching new milestones, but not enough to justify him playing “not just a few,” but “many” more seasons.
Verdict: Ichiro Suzuki is just two years younger than Marlins manager Mike Redmond and the only “player on the 40-man roster” at spring training who was born in the 1970s. In Dazed and Confused terms, he’s way beyond Fred O’Bannion and about to age out of David Wooderson territory. If Ichiro comes back next season, he’ll be the old dude at the convenience store who sells beer to high school freshmen. Don't be that dude, Ichi.
Terrell Owens
7 of 12
Age: 41 years (42 in December)
Seasons: 15
Wide receiver Terrell Owens is second behind only Jerry Rice on the NFL’s all-time receiving list, and he was still impressively productive when he last played with the Bengals in 2010—almost five years ago. He's already been gone almost as long as most players are in the league.
Despite attracting little to no interest over that period of time, thanks largely to a well-deserved notorious reputation, T.O. refuses to officially retire. In January, Owens insisted he could still be a 1,000-yard receiver in the league, a point he reiterated on The Rich Eisen Show again in June.
Verdict: Hang it up, dude. It's been five years—nobody is biting.
Ray Allen
8 of 12
Age: 40 years
Seasons: 19
Ten-time NBA All-Star Ray Allen didn’t play the entire 2014-15 season, and he says he has no plans to play the 2015-16 season, but he’s just not ready to officially retire. Allen announced his intention to take another year off, pledging to reassess the situation in 2016.
With his production having sharply declined since 2011, Allen needs to realistically assess the market demand for a 41-year-old professional basketball player who hasn’t played professional basketball in three years. It’s hard to imagine he’s going to be inundated with offers.
Verdict: It’s probably time to call it a career, but if Ray Allen wants to make it an even 20, nobody will begrudge him that.
Greg Oden
9 of 12
Age: 27 years (28 in January)
Seasons: 3
Since being drafted by the Trail Blazers No. 1 overall in 2007 (ahead of Kevin Durant), Oden has played a total of 105 regular-season games—that out of a possible 656. He missed his entire rookie season after having knee surgery, played two in Portland, missed the following three, played one in Miami and then missed all of last season. According to Oden, he was prepared to retire before being signed by the Heat but is less resigned to his fate this time around.
Despite continued problems with his chronically enfeebled knees, a seemingly ongoing battle with alcohol and an arrest stemming from a very ugly domestic assault incident in August 2014, Oden is reportedly doing some “high-level training,” hoping to attempt yet another comeback. That's per comments made by Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta in March.
Verdict: Is it even considered a retirement if Greg Oden’s career never began in the first place?
Steven Jackson
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Age: 32 years
Seasons: 11
Running back Steven Jackson had a really great run in St. Louis, topping the century mark eight in consecutive seasons. Following his final 1,000-plus-yard performance in 2012, the Rams decided to part ways with the three-time Pro Bowler, freeing him up to sign with the Falcons as a free agent. Over two years in Atlanta, Jackson barely accomplished what he could once do in a single season, which explains his February release. Although the writing is clearly on the wall, Jackson can’t seem to read it.
Insisting he’s still got enough in the tank to contribute to a decent team, he’s desperate for the opportunity to play for a team with a ceiling higher than 8-8. And he’s already got one in mind. In July, Jackson tweeted out a not-so-subtle hint to the Cowboys, who had just placed Darren McFadden on the PUP list. With less than a week to go before the regular season begins, Jackson remains a free agent. Hopefully he’s gotten the hint.
Verdict: If Steven Jackson played any other position, we’d be inclined to give him another couple of seasons, but he doesn’t. Statistically speaking, running back production falls off a cliff at age 27, a mark Jackson actually beat by two years…three years ago. It’s time to say goodbye.
Jaromir Jagr
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Age: 43 years (44 in February)
Seasons: 21
In August 2013, nine-time All-Star Jaromir Jagr announced via Facebook that “it looks like” the 2013-14 season would be his last. That was five years after his NHL career looked to be over—when the Rangers opted to release Jagr in 2008, he spent three seasons playing in Russia before returning in 2011. When the time came, however, he just wasn’t ready to walk away.
In September 2014, Jagr, who was so flippant about the game in his youth, showed renewed dedication during an interview with Tom Gulitti of NorthJersey.com's Fire and Ice blog: “I love the game. What I want to tell you is I don’t know if it’s going to be my last year in the NHL. If I stay healthy, it’s not going to be my last year in hockey. I want to play until 50, maybe more.”
Verdict: Defying all odds, and perhaps indicative of a longstanding deal with the devil, Jaromir Jagr continues to be productive on the ice. If he wants to stay, he gets to stay.
Peyton Manning
12 of 12
Age: 39 years
Seasons: 17 (16 if you don’t count 2011)
Say what you will about Peyton Manning’s postseason shortcomings, as long as we can all agree that doesn’t exclude him from the discussion of all-time greats. He is, ostensibly, the greatest regular-season quarterback of all time. He is also at the end of the road. In fact, the road actually ran out following the 2013 season; he’s just been off-roading, probably against doctor’s advice, ever since.
When Manning missed the entire 2011 season with a neck injury that required surgery and was released by the Colts the following March, it seemed like the perfect time to walk away. Perfect to everyone except Manning, who signed with the Broncos. The 2012 and 2014 regular seasons in Denver were two of the best statistical performances of Manning’s career, with the singular best and a trip to the Super Bowl sandwiched in between.
But even with an almost mystical ability to still put up numbers, there is simply no denying that he’s about to overstay his welcome, if he hasn’t already. Unless, of course, you’re Manning, who, despite being unable to feel his fingertips, literally has no thoughts of retirement bouncing around in his bulbous dome. Well, that makes one.
Verdict: It probably should have ended after the 2011 season. It really should have ended after 2013. It absolutely should have ended after 2014. And it absolutely, positively has to end after 2015…even though it definitely won’t.
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