LA Chargers: 3 players who could retire after 2020 season
By Jason Reed
LA Chargers that could retire: 3. Casey Hayward
This is absolutely a shocker and seems a bit mean coming off a game in which Casey Hayward recorded his first interception of the season. However, Hayward has been notably bad in coverage this season and has been a bit banged up.
It is not totally unprecedented for a cornerback to retire this quickly after being one of the best in the league just a season ago. In fact, it is actually kind of common.
There are two perfect examples to showcase how old cornerbacks can get so quickly. Darrelle Revis was one of the best cornerbacks of his generation and was a Pro Bowler at age 30 and an All-Pro at age 29.
His age 32 season was his last and he only played five games and was not particularly good.
Antonio Cromartie is another example. While Cromartie did not have the overall career of Revis, he did have arguably the best season by a cornerback in franchise history. He was a Pro Bowler at age 30 and retired after his age 32 season, only playing four games.
Next season is Hayward’s age 32 season and the LA Chargers might expedite the process. The team can save a lot of salary cap space by cutting Hayward and if they do so then I would not be shocked to see him go unsigned and retire, even if he is not ready himself.
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It all depends on if the Chargers release him or not but don’t be surprised if Week 17 ends up being Hayward’s last game in the NFL.