Vincent Jackson hasn’t played in the NFL since October 2016, but he hadn’t officially retired. Until now.
Jackson has now officially decided to retire, and the Chargers have congratulated him on a great career.
The 35-year-old Jackson retires with impressive career numbers of 540 catches for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns. He had three 1,000-yard seasons with the Chargers and three more 1,000-yard seasons with the Buccaneers.
Jackson was a two-sport athlete at Northern Colorado, playing both football and basketball, and the Chargers liked his athletic makeup enough to take him in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft, even though he hadn’t played against top competition in college. Jackson didn’t do much as a rookie, catching just three passes in his first year, but he eventually developed into a Pro Bowler in San Diego.
After a protracted contract dispute with the Chargers, Jackson eventually left for Tampa Bay and was a Pro Bowler again in his first year there, in 2012. A knee injury ended Jackson’s season in 2016, and he didn’t find a team in 2017. Now he’s deciding to call it a career. It’s been a good one.