Last week, former Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers safety Eric Weddle announced his retirement after 13 years in the league. He wrapped up his career as one of the most respected players, well known for his football intelligence and leadership. Those traits have many wondering if Weddle eventually returns the football field with a whistle, microphone or clipboard instead of a helmet and pads.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Weddle said that he and Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta had talked about exactly that during his tenure in Baltimore. According to Weddle, there had been discussions about having him do part-time scouting on the West Coast when he eventually retired so he could be an asset while still getting plenty of time with his family. He noted that while an official offer hasn’t come up yet, he’d be open to doing that this offseason in spite of his recent retirement.
As far as coaching is concerned, Weddle left the door open to the possibility but said he’s enjoying retirement too much to think about it for “at least a year or two.”
However, Weddle has no interest in returning to the playing field again after 13 years. He said the idea of “going through lifting and running and the pain that comes with it every single day” makes him “want to puke.” Though Weddle said he thought it could have just been the knee injury that required offseason surgery that made him disgusted, it turns out being healthy again hasn’t altered his mindset any.
