Former Saints and Seahawks center Max Unger says he has lost 60 pounds in the 18 months since he last played, and he says that has to be the priority for a retired offensive lineman.
Unger says he’s now down to “240ish” after he was listed at 305 in his career.
“Weight loss was the first priority,” Unger said, via NoLa.com. “It was a good thing to focus on right out of the gate. It’s another thing to obsess over. It’s kind of an easy transition.”
Unger said playing on the offensive line isn’t a particularly healthy lifestyle.
“You start playing offensive line in the NFL past the age of 30, it’s going to be tough,” Unger said. “Towards the end of my career, it was time to call it quits. It felt like my body was almost to the end of being able to do it. It was time. I’m feeling better.”
It’s tough to play on the offensive line in the NFL these days if you don’t weigh more than 300 pounds, but it’s also tough to live a long and healthy life after retiring if you do weigh more than 300 pounds. Unger is like a lot of linemen in prioritizing weight loss when he walks away.