Andrew is on top.
The 40-year-old left tackle of the Los Angeles Rams announced his retirement Tuesday, ending a 16-year career that included a Super Bowl victory against his former team.
He made the announcement in a video.
He wants to continue playing, but his body just doesn't.
The body is tired. It has been one of the toughest months for me. It was a long season. I still get up every morning at 5 and try to get moving, even though I'm driven like that. My body doesn't want to move with me on some days. He said during the news conference that it was time.
He had been saying for a while that the 2021 season would be his last. In December, he was quoted as saying that the only way he would retire was if the Rams couldn't afford him or there was some other way for him to come back.
That point was on display after the Rams won the Super Bowl, as the NFL released a video Tuesday of Whitworth telling his kids that was his last football game.
Four Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro selections have been included in the résumé of Whitworth. He was the only player to start at left tackle in an NFL game at 40 years old.
Over his five seasons with the Rams, he started 71 games and ranked second in the league in pass block win rate.
He was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
The second-round pick out of LSU in 2006 was a starting center for the Cincinnati Bengals.
I gave my heart and soul to that place. We made a lot of differences in that community. We created a culture that was about winning. We may not have found a way to win a playoff game or a championship, but we won a lot of games and we won a bunch of division titles. "I had some unbelievable teammates and coaches in that time, and I had a lot of fun with them," he said.
And then when I look at my time with the Rams, it's the same. I feel good about my time here. If you know me well, I am always chasing something. I feel like I am at a time in my life where I am chasing the best dad I can be, the best husband, and the best friend, things that are important to me.
The Rams signed him to a three-year, $33.75 million deal in 2017, making him one of their first free-agent additions under McVay. The three-year, $30 million agreement was signed in 2020.
There is nobody that has had a bigger impact on establishing the foundation, the culture of We Not Me, and being a part of something bigger than yourself than Andrew Whitworth. Helping influence and affect people in the right way is more important than helping in the bad. Rams coach Sean McVay said that he was at his best that day.
Can't write it any better. Walter Payton won the Super Bowl. I don't know how five years from now he won't be wearing a gold jacket in Canton.
Stan Kroenke is the owner of the Rams. His hard work to perform at the highest levels on the field is only surpassed by his commitment to making his communities better. Andrew is at the center of our success in Los Angeles these past five years, both for how he wraps his arms around this region and how he lifts up our entire organization.
According to the data, the retirement of Whitworth will save the Rams $15.5 million in cap space. As of Sunday, Los Angeles was $19 million over the salary cap.
A source told Lindsey Thiry that Joe Noteboom agreed to re-sign with the Rams on Monday for a three-year contract worth up to $47.5 million. According to a source, center Brian Allen is returning with a three-year deal worth $24 million.
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