Whenever a team has needed a tackle this offseason, Marcus McNeill’s name has come up as a possibility.
We’ll need to find some other names for the next time the subject comes up. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that McNeill has decided to retire after a six-year NFL career with the Chargers.
McNeill made the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons with the Chargers and signed a long-term deal with the team early in the 2010 season. His body started betraying him soon after that and San Diego wound up releasing McNeill in February after injuries limited him to just 20 games over the last two years.
He drew a lot of interest over the course of the offseason, but the uncertainty of his physical condition kept teams from signing him to a contract. In an interesting twist, the Chargers could have been in the market for his services thanks to the injury to Jared Gaither, who was signed by the team to replace McNeill last season.
That won’t happen, though, as McNeill’s agent confirmed the retirement report with Adam Schefter of ESPN and said the neck injury that ended his 2011 season is behind the decision.