Los Angeles Chargers safety Nasser Adderley is walking away from the NFL at age 25, he announced on Thursday in an Instagram post.
“Over the years I’ve denied this realization, but I’m finally going to put myself first for once,” Ederle wrote in his post. “My health is above anything else and everyone around me knows that.
“… I believe I have yet to scratch the surface of the player I could have been, but if it’s at the cost of my peace of mind then it’s not for me anymore.
The four-year veteran has started 44 games for the Chargers over the past three seasons and hit free agency on Wednesday. He had three interceptions, 12 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and 232 combined tackles as the Chargers took Adderley in the second round of the 2019 draft.
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Adderley took over as a starter in Week 2 of the 2020 season and did not lose it until Week 5 of the 2022 season to Alohi Gilman. He regained the role the following week and maintained it for the rest of the Chargers’ regular season games. Oddly, though, Adderly only played two defensive snaps in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars after head coach Brandon Staley benched him in favor of Gilman for post-season matches.
Not many players in their mid-20s suddenly retire, and Ederle is the first since Washington Commanders receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden, who retired during the 2022 training camp, to return to school during the 2022 season. Were.