10 NFL players who could retire after the 2024 season

The Miami Dolphins are poised to release Calais Campbell after being eliminated from playoff contention, allowing the 38-year-old defensive lineman to pursuit his first Super Bowl ring with a top contender. Campbell, the 50th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, is a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team with six Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro selections. He also won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2019 and the Art Rooney Award (outstanding sportsmanship) in 2022. Campbell is probably a borderline Hall of Famer as a player and he’s well-regarded as an even better person. Assuming this is it for his playing career, the NFL is losing one of its best people and a legendary player.

• Calais Campbell stats (career): 265 QB hits, 186 tackles for loss, 109.5 sacks, 18 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions, 3 defensive touchdowns

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A few NFL players who have been well-known for their leadership and have been playing since the early 2000s could be retiring after the season ends. Marcedes Lewis entered the league as a 22-year-old, taken with the 28th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He’s been playing football ever since, holding the NFL record for most career games played by a tight end (284). While Lewis only made the Pro Bowl once during his lengthy NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, the fact that he hung around for nearly two decades is a testament to what he brought to teams. After playing in his age-40 season, catching just one reception for 2 yards, this is the end.

• Marcedes Lewis stats (career): 437 receptions, 5,115 receiving yards, 40 touchdowns

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Nearing the end of his age-34 season, tight end Zach Ertz will at least have a shot to go out on top with the Washington Commanders making the playoffs. A three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Philadelphia Eagles and the 35th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Ertz has been a consistent underneath weapon since he was 23 years old. He is coming off his best regular season since 2021, with his most receiving touchdowns (six) since 2019. With more than $70 million in career earnings, there’s a real possibility he could walk away after Washington’s season ends and begin spending a lot more time with wife Julie Ertz and their three young kids.

• Zack Ertz stats (career): 770 receptions, 8,044 receiving yards, 52 touchdowns

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Winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year and posting a 13-8 TD-INT ratio with the Cleveland Browns earned Joe Flacco a nice contract this past offseason. In 2024, the 39-year-old quarterback largely showed that he’s simply a backup who probably can’t be trusted as a starter for more than a few games. He’ll be 40 years old in January and while the former 2008 first-round pick could certainly keep taking calls from NFL teams, now might be the time he decides to retire.

• Joe Flacco stats (career): 45,433 passing yards, 256 passing touchdowns, 61.7% completion rate, 84.4 QB rating, 104-86 record

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Good kickers always usually have the longest career among NFL players, but the time comes for everyone to hang up their cleats. An undrafted free agent in the 2006 NFL Draft class, Matt Prater worked his way up from practice squads with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins to making game-winning field goals and earning two Pro Bowl selections. He holds the NFL record for most extra points in a season (75) and the most career 50-plus yard field goals made (81), but he couldn’t return from a left knee injury suffered in September. Turning 41 in August, this is likely it for Prater.

• Matt Prater stats (career): 407 field goals made, 83.6% conversion rate, 587 extra points made, 97.3% conversion rate

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One of the best tight ends of all time could certainly walk away if the Kansas City Chiefs become the first team in NFL history to three-peat. It would give Kelce four Super Bowl rings, adding to a legendary career with numerous single-season and career records for tight ends. He’ll be 36 next October and given his ambitions to become the next Dwayne Johnson, it’s not unreasonable to think a three-peat would be exactly how Kelce wants his playing career to end.

• Travis Kelce stats (career): 1,004 receptions, 12,151 receiving yards, 77 touchdowns

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The New York Jets era was a disaster for Aaron Rodgers and recent seasons have done nothing but damage his legacy. There were some moments during his age-41 season when Rodgers looked like an above-average quarterback, but he’s the equivalent of a man without a country right now. NFL teams in free agency will be leery about the distractions Rodgers causes for a club and he clearly didn’t win over a ton of voices in the Jets locker room. He simply might not have strong options in 2025 and if general managers aren’t willing to meet his demands, there’s a real chance Rodgers will walk away. When he does officially call it quits, then an all-time great career can be what everyone remembers.

• Aaron Rodgers stats (career): 62,678 passing yards, 499 passing touchdowns, 65.1% completion rate, 102.6 QB rating, 152-87-1 record

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A first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2012 NFL Draft, 34-year-old offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler signed with the Detroit Lions this past offseason to try and snag that elusive Super Bowl ring. If he gets it, there’s no better way for a very good player with an excellent career to go out. Zeitler did earn a Pro Bowl selection in 2023 and he’s been outstanding this season. However, he’ll also be 35 in March and the preparation for a full season can be grueling for a 330-pound player in his mid-30s. If Zeitler gets to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February, that might be the perfect way to walk off into the sunset.

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There’s been more than enough news regarding Zack Martin to suggest he’ll be among the NFL players retiring at the end of the season. Selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and he exceeded the grandest of expectations with a career worthy of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection with seven first-team All-Pro nods and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Martin was the best guard of his era. However, injuries have taken a toll on him and retirement before his 35th birthday with more than $100 million in career earnings might make this the perfect time to walk away.

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Since being chosen with the 29th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, safety Harrison Smith has spent his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings. He’s beloved in the community and when he decides to retire, will quickly be inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor. Turning 36 in February, though, Smith’s play has taken a significant step backward since his last Pro Bowl selection in 2021. If the Vikings don’t win the Super Bowl, we could see him returning for 2025 to give it one last shot on the final year of his contract. If Minnesota can win it all, though, it would be the perfect way for Smith to end his Vikings career.

• Harrison Smith stats (career): 48 tackles for loss, 43 QB hits, 36 interceptions, 20.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 9 fumble recoveries, 4 pick-sixes

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