Atlanta Falcons all-time franchise leading receiver, Roddy White, officially retired from the NFL after 11 years in the league.
In a statement on his Twitter account, former Falcons wide receiver Roddy White officially retired from the NFL on Friday, after 11 years with Atlanta and a year as a free agent.
I would like to thank Arthur Blank and the falcons organization for a great 11 years. The city of Atlanta I love y'all so much. I'm (cont…
— Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV) April 14, 2017
…cont) officially retired from football and welcome the the second phase of my life.
— Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV) April 14, 2017
The veteran wideout thanked Falcons owner Arthur Blank, his former team, and the city of Atlanta for all they did for him throughout his career.
White retires from the league as the Falcons’ all-time leading receiver with 10,863 yards on 808 catches, with 63 touchdowns. His best seasons came from 2009-2011, with 115 catches for 1,389 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2010 for a 13-3 Falcons team.
In his prime, specifically from 2007-2012, he averaged 94 catches, 1,296 yards per season and eight touchdowns.
However, as Julio Jones went on his meteoric rise as Atlanta’s top wideout, it became evident that White wasn’t going to be a part of Dan Quinn or Kyle Shanahan’s plans for the Falcons’ offense. Even without White, the team made their best postseason run since 1999, finishing with a heart-breaking 34-31 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
White was specifically critical of his coaches and how they played him during his tenure with the team, and the rift eventually led to White’s departure from Atlanta.
After the 2015-2016 season, the Falcons cut White to make room for their talented receiving core that led them to Super Bowl 51, and White had said he would either sign with a contender or retire from the league. After a year with no action, the wide receiver made the decision to hang up the cleats.
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White couldn’t catch on with another team for 2016, with his thought of contender-or-bust potentially hindering his ability to find work. Reportedly, the Titans were looking to bring in the veteran receiver for a season, but obviously White was content sitting out for the best offer or hanging it up.