Vikings TE John Carlson says retirement an option due to concussions

Five year veteran John Carlson may have taken his last snap in the NFL – this after suffering his third concussion two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Minnesota Vikings tight end (who spent his first three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks) said he’s had more than the three documented head injuries during his time in the NFL (refusing to give a number) and that he and his wife will sit down at season end to discuss his future, which includes potential retirement:

"In a post-practice conversation Wednesday, Carlson said he and his wife, Danielle, will discuss his concussion history in depth after the season, and he indicated that retirement might be an option.“That’s something that my wife and I will consider,” he said. “After every season it’s an evaluation period because of the nature of our business. Players move around, players get cut, coaches get fired, things happen. So in that sense, every year is an evaluation period and this year will be no different. And the concussion part of it will be in that conversation.”"

With two children and a third on the way, Carlson is looking towards his future outside of football and seems to believe the risk isn’t worth the reward – an understandable stance.

The tight end did pass the NFL’s mandatory concussion test recently but said he is still experiencing some headaches and hasn’t been feeling well, so his status moving forward for the rest of the season seems questionable at best.