San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley contemplated retirement in 2017 when injuries plagued him that season. A conversation with head coach Kyle Shanahan convinced him to continue playing.
Three years later, after a heartbreaking defeat in Super Bowl LIV, his second career loss in the NFL's championship game, it looks like Staley may have decided to call it a career and retire after 13 NFL seasons, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The 49ers traded a fifth-round draft pick in 2020 and a third-round draft pick in 2021 on Saturday, April 25, to the Washington Redskins in exchange for veteran tackle Trent Williams, which led many to believe that Staley had made a decision regarding his future.
Here's what helped set into motion the Trent Williams' trade: six-time Pro Bowl and All-Decade OT Joe Staley is expected to retire due to health concerns, per league sources. The 35-year-old Staley wanted to inform the 49ers in a timely way to help find a replacement. They have.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2020
"You put your heart and soul and entire life into trying to be a Super Bowl champion," Staley said after Super Bowl LIV. "You get to the end of your career, and you realize how rare these opportunities are. The emotions are all so raw and real for me right now."
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Staley, 35, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection. The 49ers made him the No. 28 overall selection in 2007 after playing college football at Central Michigan. Staley has 181 starts through his 13 NFL seasons.
Injuries plagued Staley this past season, limiting him to seven regular-season starts and three playoff starts. He started all 16 games in 2018 and started 16 games in six of the eight seasons between 2011 and 2018.
Staley was one of four 49ers players, past and present, to be named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2010s. He was joined by current teammate and longtime Seattle Seahawk, Richard Sherman, and former teammates Frank Gore and Patrick Willis.