On Monday, Broncos cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie created a bit of a stir when he said he’s thought about the possibility that Sunday’s Super Bowl may be the final game of his career.
Those thoughts were interpreted as a contemplation about retirement, but Rodgers Cromartie said at Tuesday’s Media Day that he didn’t mean things that way. Rodgers-Cromartie said that he was talking about the realities of playing on a one-year deal and how nothing is guaranteed in the NFL rather than “thinking about retiring in terms of giving up.”
“You’ve got to understand. I think about [Raiders 2005 first-round pick] Fabian Washington who is from Bradenton [FL], just like I am. First round, one contract, got a one-year deal, never came back. I work out with him, he’s still fast, still in his prime and I think, ‘that could be me.’ I think about guys like that. I can’t speak on that. I am prepared for whatever. That’s what I mean about this being the last go-round.”
It’s hard to believe that Rodgers-Cromartie won’t generate interest this offseason, whether from the Broncos trying to retain him or someone else trying to lure him away from Denver. It’s never a bad idea to recognize that a playing career won’t last forever, though, and Rodgers-Cromartie’s approach to that reality should help him transition whenever the time does come to hang up the cleats.