Steven Jackson Considered Retirement Before Signing with Falcons
By Josh Hill
Steven Jackson has never played on a contending team, but he’s set himself up to possibly win a Super Bowl in 2013 by signing with the Atlanta Falcons. But before he inked his deal in the Dirty South, Jackson admits that retirement was on his mind and that he seriously considered hanging up the cleats before ultimately deciding to comeback for another year.
“I was thinking about maybe retiring,” Jackson said Friday, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I really considered that. . . . I really contemplated ‘do I continue to play football’ or ‘do I retire.’ That’s one thing I admire about Barry Sanders.”
Jackson also admits that while he respects his time with the Rams, he is now aware that even if you’re a talented “bell cow”, you need talent around you to be successful in the NFL.
“Early in my career, I took great pride in being in the bell cow, the one guy that you could always depend on,” Jackson said. “I’ve learned that over the years you did need some extra guys on your team to be successful in this league. To be another tool in the tool box is quite all right with me.”
But despite the fact that he knows he won’t be the star player in Atlanta, Jackson says he still plans on being a leader in the locker room and above all being a team player for Atlanta as they make a push to make it to the Super Bowl.
“I have a never-[say]-die attitude,” Jackson said. “That is something that I plan on bringing to this team. They don’t need much; they are already a good team. . . . I’ll try to bring leadership and that relentlessness to this team.”