Andrew Whitworth weighs in on impending retirement decision

Could 16-year NFL veteran Andrew Whitworth be considering retirement after the Super Bowl? The 40-year-old Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle seems to be seriously considering it.

“I’m kind of waiting for another couple of weeks. Just right before the league year starts, I’ll make a decision,” Whitworth said during an appearance on NFL Total Access on Wednesday. “Trying to get away from the game as much as I can.”

Super Bowl 56 was Whitworth’s 240th NFL game, and his place in NFL history is a reflection of an incredible career that began with the Ram’s Super Bowl opponent. Whitworth was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and played for Cincinnati until the end of the 2016 season. In 2017, Whitworth joined the Rams and became an instant piece of their playoff hopes. After suffering an MCL injury at the end of 2020, he has recovered fully and is now awaiting his ring.

Whitworth joined rarified air on Super Bowl Sunday. He joined Tom Brady and Jerry Rice as the three oldest non-specialists to ever play in the big game. The duo have two of the most incredible Hall of Fame resumes in NFL history, and while Whitworth’s career may not have the accolades attached, it is impressive enough to see him last as long as he has at the highest level, but it’s still not the easy for the veteran tackle to know when to call it a day.

“There’s a lot that goes into that,” Whitworth said of making a decision on his future. “Obviously, the family’s involved. Me making sure that my commitment level to being the kind of player that I expect myself to be each and every Sunday is a part of that. So, that’s something I’m just gonna give it another couple of weeks and make sure I’m pretty confident what I want to do.

“I definitely think, I’m definitely leaning towards probably being done. I think that that’s probably best for me at this time in my career. There’s obviously days I’m waking up right now that I don’t know if I want to do that. It’s battling that a little bit. I’ll come to a conclusion here soon to give the Rams a chance to make the moves they need to one way or another. But man, what an awesome ride it’s been if this is the end.”

With a Super Bowl victory under his belt for the first time in his extended pro football tenure, what better way to go out? If his first 15 seasons told us anything, Super Bowls are not guaranteed. Not everyone gets their fairy tale ending.