San Francisco 49ers LB Patrick Willis expected to retire

By Evan Massey | Mar 9, 2015

Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis (52) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The San Francisco 49ers are not expecting linebacker Patrick Willis to return in 2015, and are currently expecting him to retire this offseason.

Patrick Willis has been one of the NFL’s defensive faces for quite a few years now, but after an injury-plagued 2014 season, he could be leaning towards retirement. According to a report from Rand Getlin, the 49ers are not expecting Willis back in 2015 and believe that he will end up retiring this offseason.

Source: the #49ers are bracing themselves for the loss of LB Patrick Willis. Expecting him to retire.
— Rand Getlin (@RandGetlin) March 9, 2015

Needless to say, this is a major shock to anyone that has been watching the NFL for the past few seasons. Up until last year, Willis was still a very dominant linebacker and one of the best leaders in the game. San Francisco has already gone through quite a bit of change this offseason, and this change will be one of the hardest to deal with.

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At 30 years old, Willis has played in just eight seasons with the 49ers. That is a very short career for a player in as good of shape and with the passion that Willis has for the game. He finished his career with 950 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, eight interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, and 53 passes broken up.

This is a huge loss for the 49ers, but they do have young linebacker Chris Borland who will step into his place. He played a lot last season due to the injuries that Willis was going through. In those games, he ended up totaling 107 tackles, 1.0 sacks, two interceptions, and five passes broken up.

Willis won’t be able to be replaced by Borland, but he will be a nice piece for the future. The 49ers are going to miss the leadership that Willis always brought to the field, and they will miss his energy and passion even more.

It certainly wasn’t an expected move, and it is a surprise that he won’t pursue a comeback after the injury. Most players that have been as dominant as Willis don’t want to go out on a down season. During the 2014 season in six games, Willis ended up recording 34 tackles, an interceptions, and five passes broken up.

Those numbers aren’t shabby at all for just playing in six games, and it shows just a part of what he brought to the 49ers’ defense.

At just 30 years old, it is hard to see Willis walk away from the game. He was one of the most dominant linebackers in the NFL throughout his career, and will certainly be missed.

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