Upon seeing the news of Panthers LB and team icon Luke Kuechly’s early retirement, my feelings could be summed up in three words: Good for him.
The 28-year-old aKuechly made the same call that Calvin Johnson, Patrick Willis and Rob Gronkowski did. Johnson retired at 30, after nine seasons in Detroit; Willis called it quits after eight years at 29; and Gronkowski left the NFL after nine years, also at 29. You can also throw Andrew Luck in the group, who, at age 29, retired before the start of this season after seven years in the NFL.