Max Unger shocked the football world over the weekend when the veteran center of the New Orleans Saints announced his retirement. After he explained the justification behind hanging up his cleats with such little prior notice, though, it's easy to see why Unger believes stepping away from the game is ultimately the best decision for he and his family.
On a conference call with reporters on Monday, Unger clarified that he came to the decision to retire “in the last month or so,” and was in frequent contact with the Saints during that period. What ultimately caused him to end his career? A spate of lower-body injuries that has affected his play in recent years, to the point that Unger wasn't positive he could “make it through another season.”
“I'm retiring because I wasn't sure I could make it through another season,” he said, per Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “I’m getting older. There is no way for me to replicate the play of five years ago. That’s a reality of life.”
Unger started all 16 games at center for the Saints last season, earning his third and final Pro Bowl nod. A second-round pick out of the University of Oregon in 2009, he began his career with the Seattle Seahawks, immediately establishing himself as one of the league's most promising interior offensive lineman. Unger was traded to New Orleans, a development he called “the best possible outcome” on Monday, in 2015 along with a first-round pick in exchange for star tight end Jimmy Graham.
The Saints signed former Minnesota Vikings guard Nick Easton, who began his career at center, to a four-year, $24 million deal on Sunday.
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