NFL Free Agency: 5 Unsigned Veterans That Should Just Retire in 2011

Retiring can be extremely hard on professional athletes. Just ask Brett Favre.  After spending their entire lives playing that sport, many can’t picture living without it.  Others, though, realize when it’s the right time to call it quits.

With plenty of veterans that are well past their prime in the 2011 free agent class, we’ll see which players are in the can’t-stop category or are ready to find a real job (or a sitcom for you know who).

Here are five un-signed veterans that should just retire in 2011.

5. Tony Richardson

Tony Richardson is one of the greatest fullbacks of all-time, but at 39 years old, it’s time to hang up the cleats.  The Jets have a very promising fullback in John Connor and it would be the team’s best bet to start the younger, bigger lead blocker.  At 5’10”, 245 pounds, the former Kentucky Wildcat is a tank that drew rave reviews for his physicality and work ethic last season during training camp.

It was nice for Connor to have a year to learn from Richardson, but one year is enough.  New York wouldn’t keep Richardson as a backup either; that would just be a waste of a roster space.  With fullback being a dying position in the NFL, there aren’t many teams in the league that could even use him.

4. Terrell Owens

Thirty-seven-year-old receivers aren’t supposed to put up the type of numbers Terrell Owens did this past season.  T.O. is one of the hardest workers in the entire NFL, though, and that work ethic has helped him prevent a drastic decline in production.

Despite his effectiveness, the combination of him and Chad Ochocinco may have just caused Carson Palmer to go crazy.  Owens will be a distraction wherever he goes, and very few teams will show interest, but that isn’t the biggest reason why he should retire.

Owens just tore his ACL this offseason.  He won’t be able to heal up in time for the start of the regular season, and at his age, it will be nearly impossible for him to get back his speed.

It took till late July last offseason for Owens to sign with a team.  Because of the lockout, it’s already late July, and if any team has shown a strong interest in him by the time late-August rolls around, it would be a shocker.

3. Lawyer Milloy

If the Seahawks didn’t make the playoffs this past season, I would’ve honestly had no idea Lawyer Milloy was still playing football.  Milloy is 37 years old and will be 38 in November, but he actually recorded 88 tackles last year.

Sure, he’s a nice veteran locker room presence, but he can’t be taking valuable minutes from Seattle’s young players.  Making the playoffs in 2010 doesn’t mean they’re ready to win now.  Until they find their franchise quarterback, they’re a rebuilding team.

Second-year strong safety Kam Chancellor has plenty of upside and should receive a shot at the starting job in 2011.  Milloy obviously isn’t part of the Seahawks future, but the former Hokie is.  The veteran would be eating up minutes that Chancellor could be using to build on-field chemistry with free safety Earl Thomas.

2. Randy Moss

At 34 years old, Randy Moss isn’t Super Freak anymore.  He bickered his way out of New England, complained his way out of Minnesota and caught six receptions in eight games in Tennessee, all in one year.

The insane part about Moss’ decrease in production is that he just had a 1,200-yard, 13-touchdown season in 2009.  He just doesn’t care anymore.  Moss isn’t going to give any effort on a non-contending team and there isn’t a contender out there that'll show interest.

He burned his bridge back to New England, and there’s no way the Packers, Colts or Steelers would consider him.  The Eagles are already loaded at wide receiver and Moss isn’t playing back-up to anybody. The Bears wouldn’t risk the psyche of Jay Cutler, the Falcons just drafted Julio Jones and the Ravens already have plenty of old receivers. 

That leaves the Jets, and if Rex Ryan wants to risk Mark Sanchez’s development over Moss, he’s nuts.

1. Tiki Barber

Even though Tiki Barber has been retired for four years, he’s eligible to make this list because he came out of retirement earlier this offseason.  At 36 years old, he’s done.  There isn’t a chance in the world that his body will be able to take on the punishment he’ll receive at the running back position after such a long time off.

This league is loaded at running back.  Less than a half-dozen teams even have a significant need there and no one is going to take a chance on Barber with plenty of younger, more talented backs out there.  DeAngelo Williams, Ahmad Bradshaw, Darren Sproles, Michael Bush, Joseph Addai, Cedric Benson, Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Cadillac Williams, Clinton Portis, Jerome Harrison, Tim Hightower and plenty more will all draw far more interest than a washed-up Barber.

He has no shot, so instead of wasting time and energy attempting to do the impossible, he should just retire once again. 

David Daniels is a NFL Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow  him on Twitter.