Jets tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson to retire from NFL after 10 seasons
New York Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson is retiring after 10 seasons, a surprising decision considering that the 32-year-old was apparently completely healthy and had started every game of his pro career, USA TODAY Sports confirmed Friday.
ESPN was the first to report the news.
The Jets had recently asked the lineman to take a pay cut, the New York Daily News first reported earlier this week. Ferguson, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft, had signed a six-year, $60 million contract in 2012.
Ferguson, who never missed a snap because of injury, was scheduled to make $10.38 million this season, which included $8.63 million in base salary. None of it was guaranteed. His retirement is expected to clear more than $9 million in cap room for the Jets.
Husain Abdullah praises new concussion protocol, but knew it was time to retire from NFL
All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
The retirement may free up enough cap space to improve their offer to free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the 33-year-old who helped lead the Jets to the cusp of the playoffs last season. Fitzpatrick threw a career-high 31 touchdown passes last season.
In December, Ferguson wrote a story for SI.com after seeing the movie Concussion. He said he was troubled by NFL medical personnel who may have tried to downplay the long-term effects of concussions. Also alarming to Ferguson were the effects of all the smaller hits that occur on every NFL play.
"After learning all of this," he wrote, "I feel a bit betrayed by the people or committees put in place by the league who did not have my best interests at heart".
This is the just the latest surprise retirement by NFL players, many of whom walked away from the game because of concerns about long-term health. Just Wednesday, A.J. Tarpley, a 23-year-old linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, that he was retiring because of repeated concussions. One year ago, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland retired after just one season because of concerns about long-term cognitive damage.
Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today Sports contributed to this report.