Opening statement: “Well, [it’s] been a long career, a long time, and man … Many nights you just kind of … And I always try to sleep on things before I make a decision, so a lot of sleep, waking up and kind of feeling the same thing. And so, me and my family decided, basically, after this season, this is my last season. I’m retiring after this [to] go home and be dad, look back and enjoy things. I just feel like it’s time. My body feels great, but not everybody gets the opportunity to kind of have this opportunity. I feel like God has given it to me, so I’m going to take it.”
On why he wants to announce his retirement before the start of his last season: “I’ve just been thinking about it and talking about it. And you train, and you’re doing that – and I enjoy doing all that stuff – but to just kind of get it off my chest, to just kind of ease into it, because every time you do an interview at my age, people always ask you, ‘How much longer you want to play?’ I don’t know; it’s just something about here. I feel like this is the best place. If it’s going to be the end, this would be the best place to end. I think it’s always easier when you know you have a finish line. You get to let things loose. You just do things [and] you’re like, ‘Man, whatever.’ Whatever happens, you just kind of let the chips fall where they may. It’s kind of like being married or something, having children. You know how to do it, you enjoy doing it, but you’re not sure how it’s going to turn out. And you just trust to have faith that it’s going to work out the way it’s supposed to work out. That’s what I’m going on – just trust and faith that it’s going to work out. And I think it will, and we have a great team.”
On if it was difficult being away from his family last season: “Yes, it is. It’s very difficult. It’s not something that … I guess some people enjoy being married, some people don’t enjoy being married, and I enjoy my family. It’s kind of tough to see them in spurts.”
On how difficult it was to reach his decision to retire: “I probably knew about April that I was kind of set on it. And I’m a guy that kind of … I’m either off or I’m on, and so, I kind of knew after that I was like, ‘You know what? I’m good with that.’”
On if there was a day in which he knew, or if he made the decision over time: “No, it was just kind of … It was tough last year sitting in New England’s visiting locker room – and it was like, ‘Man!’ – seeing some of the coaches, seeing some of the players [and] some of the things they said to me personally. And Ozzie [Newsome] asked me to think about it, because he’s – obviously – he’s great at what he does, and he can look at guys’ eyes and kind of see things. So for me, he said take my time, but I knew that I wanted to give it one more try. But also, I worked out, and it was like, ‘You know what? This is it.’ I’m not really a big gambler or whatever, but now, just all my chips are on the table. So, we’re going to see what the dealer gives me.”
On why he was not at practice on Saturday: “Actually, my daughter had surgery.” (Reporter: “I don’t want to go there. It’s none of our business.”) “Yes.” (Reporter: “But that’s what you were doing, is talking about retiring?”) “No, my daughter had surgery on Friday, so I left to be dad.Saturday I was doing that same thing; I was just being dad. She needed me to be home; I needed to be home. That’s where I was at.” (Reporter: “Was there more conversation about this decision back then? Or this was already a foregone conclusion, and everybody knew it was coming expect except us?”) “Yes. No disrespect, but you’re the only idiots in the room.(laughter) Everybody else, even Chad [Steele, VP of public relations] knew. (laughter) It had nothing to do with why I wasn’t here. It was a personal … I had a family emergency. My daughter was getting surgery, and so she needed her dad. Her dad needed to be next to his daughter.”
On if being with his family made him think about his decision to retire: “Next year, I’m going to be in Costa Rica for training camp. (laughter) My summer is already planned. Honestly, my son is having decisions to make about going to college. For a very long time – since he was probably a 1-year-old when I was in college – he’s gotten up on Saturdays and went to my games. [He does that] on Sundays now. That’s an opportunity where it’s shifted. I just feel like it’s time. I get to … I don’t want to hold on. I said it this summer: Jerry Rice is the best wide receiver to ever play, but I don’t believe that chasing whatever it is to chase for four more years would be conducive to my family or be conducive to me. I would be having to give up something. I would be jeopardizing something. And I don’t know what that is, and I don’t have any intensions of finding out.”
On if he is chasing anything: “Am I chasing anything? No, I’m good. Bank account is steady-Eddie, so I’m good. I’m just having fun. I’m enjoying the journey. I have this t-shirt; I look at it every day. It’s green. It says, ‘Enjoy the journey.’ And that’s what I’m doing.”
On if there is a sense of urgency to pass knowledge and tips on to the younger players knowing this is his last season: “No. No sense of urgency. Anything I do, it’s not anything underlining. I still teach those guys, still talk to them, [and] we still have fun. Relationships in football are built for a very long time, if they’re authentic relationships. If they’re not authentic relationships, they go; they fizzle out very quickly.”
On how much he would like to end his career with a ring having said a Super Bowl title will not define his career: “We’ll see when that comes. I’m not really concerned about that. I’m trying to get through the day. You see these three-hour practices.”
On the reaction of his teammates when he told them of his plans to retire: “A few guys panicked [thinking] that I was shutting it down today. But they were good, supportive.”
On if it will be difficult to be away from the game after this season: “Of course. Anytime you do something [for] 15 years plus four years of college – that’s 19-20 years of football. Football – no matter what percentage of it – if it’s part of your life, there will be a mourning process, because it’s something you’ve done. You’ve been, kind of, built around it. So yes, there will be some parts of it where it’s going to be tough. But the interesting part about it for me isn’t … I’m not really nervous about retiring. [I’m] more nervous about what it looks like on the other side. That’s a steady thing that I think about and understand and am very much aware of, and I have some things built in that I’m going to take advantage of that the league provides and also that I can provide for myself that would help me through that process, because it really, truly, is a grieving process. It’s something that’s a part of you that you no longer have and can do, and so, I’m getting prepared mentally. And also, [I’m] going to do some things to kind of help facilitate that transition.”
On why he said Baltimore is a good place for him to end his career: “Because I’m playing. [I] get the opportunity to play. I think sometimes older guys get there, and they don’t have that opportunity to play. They kind of sit around and hope somebody calls, and they don’t. They kind of get to that result. I have that opportunity not to be there, and it’s unique; not everybody has that opportunity.”
On how long he could play from a physical standpoint: “I probably could play two or three more years. Obviously, I would probably have to – at 37 [or] 38 – reduce [my] role a little bit, but I could play. But then I think you’re kind of just chasing; you’re just kind of just doing it to do it. You’re doing it because you don’t have anything else to do. It’s kind of like when these coaches are 90 [or] 80 years old and are still coaching. Now you’re just doing it out of fear because you don’t want to go to the end result.”
