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49ers Expect Patrick Willis To Retire
March 9th at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams
The big 49ers news hinted at by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk earlier today appears to involve linebacker Patrick Willis. According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the 49ers are bracing for the loss of Willis, who is expected to retire from the NFL.
While the Niners had been preparing for the possibility that veteran defensive end Justin Smith decides to call it a career this winter, the news of Willis potentially deciding to end his career comes as a surprise. Prior to a 2014 season cut short by injury, Willis had earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in each of his even seasons, and only turned 30 years old in January.
However, when he landed on the injured reserve list back in November, Willis revealed that the toe on which he was undergoing surgery had been a chronic issue, limiting his effectiveness for years.
“I don’t look to play this game for just another year,” Willis told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com at the time. “I feel like I have five or six more great years of football left in my body. Unfortunately, this toe was telling me otherwise.”
We’ve yet to hear from Willis himself that he’ll retire, and even if he does decide to bow out of the NFL, it’s not clear that it’s entirely due to the toe issues. However, given his stated desire to play “five or six more” seasons, the veteran linebacker presumably wouldn’t announce his retirement unless he felt his body wouldn’t allow him to continue playing.
March 9th at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams
The big 49ers news hinted at by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk earlier today appears to involve linebacker Patrick Willis. According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the 49ers are bracing for the loss of Willis, who is expected to retire from the NFL.
While the Niners had been preparing for the possibility that veteran defensive end Justin Smith decides to call it a career this winter, the news of Willis potentially deciding to end his career comes as a surprise. Prior to a 2014 season cut short by injury, Willis had earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in each of his even seasons, and only turned 30 years old in January.
However, when he landed on the injured reserve list back in November, Willis revealed that the toe on which he was undergoing surgery had been a chronic issue, limiting his effectiveness for years.
“I don’t look to play this game for just another year,” Willis told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com at the time. “I feel like I have five or six more great years of football left in my body. Unfortunately, this toe was telling me otherwise.”
We’ve yet to hear from Willis himself that he’ll retire, and even if he does decide to bow out of the NFL, it’s not clear that it’s entirely due to the toe issues. However, given his stated desire to play “five or six more” seasons, the veteran linebacker presumably wouldn’t announce his retirement unless he felt his body wouldn’t allow him to continue playing.