Top 10 NFL players that retired too soon

5. Patrick Willis

For 8 years in San Francisco, 49ers fans could hear the thud that Patrick Willis brought on every hit through every radio and television broadcast. But this past off season, following a disappointing 2014 season, Willis announced he was hanging up the spikes. The linebacker cited that the reason for his early retirement was mainly because of nagging injuries. He did play in just six games in 2014, the lowest of his career.

But one has to think that if Willis took the time this off season to properly recover from the foot and ankle injuries that clouded the second half of his career, he might still have one or two good years left in him. After all, there wasn’t a wide receiver in the NFL who looked forward to doing a slant route to the middle of the field when they faced the 49ers.

Willis ended his career with 20.5 sacks and 732 tackles. For a long time Willis was one of the premier linebackers in the NFL. The 49ers did go just 8-8 this past year and saw their head coach leave the organization. So I’m sure this didn’t help Willis and his want to continue playing professional football.

Part of the reason Willis is walking away from the game is because he is considering his long term health. The man clearly has passion for the game of football (his retirement press conference saw plenty of tears). But some things are more important in life. To Willis, that is being able to walk without pain when he is 40 years old- something that 10 and 12 year veterans of the NFL can’t necessarily say.

Next: 4. Kurt Warner