After their professional careers wind down, most NFL stars prefer staying close to the game. Many join a television panel, others start their own podcasts, and a few try their hand at coaching. However, a few Pro Bowlers and household names have chosen to leave the glamour and limelight after their careers ended, with some even doing so at the peak of their careers.
Andrew Luck quit a $140 million contract aged just 29, Jake Plummer left the huddle for a mushroom farm in Colorado, and Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis left for Silicon Valley, taking a desk job. Jeremy Shockey became private in Miami. Robert Smith retired at 28 after a 1,521-yard season to become an amateur astronomer.
Thanks for the submission!
Glen Coffee quit the NFL and joined the U.S. Army, while Rashard Mendenhall started a new career as a writer for HBO’s “Ballers.” John Moffitt left his team midway through his career, while Jason Hanson went on to complete a record 21-year career with a single team. Although they had different reasons, what they chose was the same.
•
Here are 10 NFL stars who stepped away from the spotlight after retirement.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
#10. Barret Robbins, center
Robbins was an anchor of the Raiders’ offensive line that reached the 2002 AFC championship game, earning All-Pro honors that year. He made one Pro Bowl during his stint in Oakland from 1995 to 2003. He went missing in the run-up to Super Bowl XXXVII following an undiagnosed bipolar episode. Robbins’ post-NFL life was marked by serious personal and health struggles. He died in March at age 56.
#9. Jason Hanson, kicker
With an NFL record 21 seasons (1992-2012) in Detroit, Jason Hanson is the longest-serving player in the Lions’ history. Hanson kicked for the Lions in 327 games and holds the Lions’ all-time scoring record with 2,150 career points. Hanson earned two Pro Bowls during that time. After his heel injuries contributed to the end of his long career, he retired completely. He did not go into coaching or broadcasting.
#8. John Moffitt, offensive lineman
A third-round pick in 2011, Moffitt started 15 games in three seasons with the Seahawks and Broncos. He abruptly left Denver during a Week 9 bye in the 2013 season and gave up more than $1 million. He later told the team he wasn’t returning. The public reason, according to him, was that money could not buy happiness and that playing football was not good for his mind and health.
#7. Rashard Mendenhall, running back
Mendenhall won Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played for the Steelers and Cardinals between 2008 and 2013 and scored 37 career touchdowns, finishing his career with 4,236 rushing yards. Mendenhall called time on his career after six seasons at just 26 and rejected lucrative free-agent deals because he wanted to travel and write.
#6. Glen Coffee, running back
Coffee was selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. While backing up Frank Gore during his rookie season, Coffee’s performance had fans optimistic. After only one season, Coffee surprisingly told the 49ers that his heart was not in football. Coffee joined the U.S. Army as a specialist three years after leaving the 49ers, serving with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion.
#5. Robert Smith, running back
Smith was 28 when he unexpectedly retired from the sport at the end of the best season of his career, when he ran for 1,521 yards in 2000. He cited the wish to continue to pursue life beyond football, saying he did not want to damage his long-term health in the sport. He was a two-time Pro Bowler in eight seasons at Minnesota, ending with 6,818 career rushing yards. He worked for a bit as an analyst, but then retreated largely out of public view.
#4. Jeremy Shockey, tight end
Shockey played for the Giants, Saints and Panthers from 2002 to 2011, hauling in 6,143 receiving yards and earning Super Bowl rings with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII and the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. After his final season in 2011, Shockey settled in Miami. Per reports, he focused on personal ventures, investments, and supporting his former college program, the Hurricanes. The four-time Pro Bowler mostly stayed out of the public eye until his “Club Shay Shay” podcast appearance in mid-2026.
#3. Patrick Willis, linebacker
At 30, while he was one of the best middle linebackers in football, Willis retired due to chronic foot and toe injuries such as plantar fasciitis. His San Francisco 49ers 2007-2014 career earned him seven Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pro selections. Willis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024. After retirement, he took a 9-to-5 job at a corporate open-storage company in Silicon Valley.
#2. Jake Plummer, quarterback
Fans nicknamed him “Jake the Snake.” Plummer retired at age 32 and walked away from his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007. He passed for 29,253 yards with the Arizona Cardinals (1997-2002) and Denver Broncos (2003-06). During his career, he made the Pro Bowl in 2005 and led Denver to the AFC championship game that same year. He currently resides in rural Fort Lupton, Colorado, where he co-owns MycoLove Farm, a commercial mushroom facility.
#1. Andrew Luck, quarterback
Luck shocked the sports world when he abruptly retired before the 2019 season at age 29, forfeiting a $140 million contract. Luck suffered through injuries throughout his career, including a torn shoulder labrum and a lacerated kidney. He felt burnt out by being in a constant state of rehab. Luck appeared in four Pro Bowls and was named the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year. He threw for 171 touchdowns with the Colts between 2012 and 2018. After years away from the spotlight, Luck became the general manager of his alma mater, the Stanford Cardinal, in 2024.
Edited by R. Elahi
