At just 28 years old, Luke Keuchly retired from football after numerous concussions. In just 7 seasons, Luke Kuechly had 2 severe concussions.
Luke said in his retirement video, “It makes me sad because I love playing this game. I’ve been playing it since I was a little kid and it’s my favorite thing in the world to do. The memories I have from this place and this organization and playing on the field with these guys will never go away.” He explained how he loved the game, but it was the right time for him to leave.
In his career, Luke missed a total of 7 games due to injury. This is not a lot for a NFL player, but the injuries were extremely severe, and could impact the All-Star LB for a long time.
Kuechly has been selected to First-Team-All-Pro 5 times, and is a 7-time Pro Bowler. He played in one Super Bowl with the Panthers, along with 7 playoff games.
It is unfortunate for Kuechly to retire at this time, as it was a beginning of a new era for the Carolina Panthers. With new head coach Matt Rhule, and QB Teddy Bridgewater, Kuechly would have been a great leader for his former team.
Kuechly said in his recent press conference, “I think when guys come in on Fridays and Saturdays and you talk to the production crew, you talk to guys like (Jason) Witten and guys that have played, like (Tony) Romo, and Ronde (Barber) … Those guys, you can tell that they played at a high level and they still have the ability to stay involved with the game. I think that part is something that’s attractive to me.”
Surely like all the other greats Kuechly mentioned that retired fairly early, Luke will also spend a couple years commentating for games, whether it be ESPN, FOX, NBC, CBS, or even NFLN. Drew Brees reportedly declined an offer from ESPN and will instead be going to NBC once he retires. This could give Luke a chance at Monday Night Football on ESPN. Luke would surely be one of the greatest commentators, with his unbelievably amazing knowledge of the game.
Though Luke is not physically playing in the NFL, he definitely plans to stay involved in the league, whether it be coaching, commentating, or any other type of jobs in the league.
Luke will surely be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with 1,092 tackles and 18 interceptions in a short span of 7 years. It has become more common to see younger players retiring, as Rob Gronkowski, Luke Kuechly, and Andrew Luck all retired relatively early in their amazing careers.
Kuechly has been an all around amazing player in his career with the Panthers, and will go down as one of the all time greats at his position. He made an impact while playing in the league, and surely will now, even though he is retired. One of the best leaders in the game is only 28 years old, and has a long and great future ahead of him.
