Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has been talking about quitting so long that Brett Favre is getting sick of hearing about it.
But more than six years after Williams announced his retirement from the Dolphins at the start of training camp in 2004, he says he still has another two seasons in him. And Williams, who is going into the final year of his current deal, hopes both seasons are in Miami.
“Ideally, right now, I would like to get a year extension with the Miami Dolphins, play this year and next year and then really focus on my schooling,” Williams told ESPN.com.
As we reported back in March, Williams hired Drew Rosenhaus and wants to keep playing past 2010, so it should come as no surprise that he’d like the Dolphins to give him a new deal.
Williams is 33 years old and scheduled to make a base salary of $4.35 million this year, and NFL teams aren’t exactly known for giving big raises to 33-year-old running backs who already make good money. Then again, there aren’t many 33-year-old running backs coming off seasons in which they ran for 1,121 yards and 4.7 yards a carry.
So it’s not unreasonable to think Williams could get a new deal with the Dolphins, play until he’s 34, and then go back to school, where he says he’s planning to get a pre-med degree.
For that matter, it’s not unreasonable to think Williams could play until he’s 35 or older. He’s still got a few retirements and un-retirements to go before he catches Favre.