Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandon Coleman announced his retirement on Monday, sharing a parting message to fans from his official Instagram account.
“To the city and fans of New Orleans,” Coleman wrote, “thank you kindly for embracing me with love, for the memories, the opportunity to serve the community however I could, the support (through) the ups and downs, the good music, even better food, and an all around beautiful culture of endless festivals and good vibes.”
He also thanked the Saints organization, coaches, and team ownership for taking a chance on him as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Rutgers several years ago. Coleman’s Saints career initially began on the practice squad, but he earned a promotion to the active roster and ended up playing the second-most snaps at wide receiver in 2017, trailing only Michael Thomas. If not for his career-ending injury, he’d likely still be on the team.
Coleman was waived early in training camp last season, still recovering from a neck injury that kept him out of the Saints’ 2017 playoff games against the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings. While Saints head coach Sean Payton suggested Coleman was someone they would check in on and possibly bring back later in the year, that never materialized. Now, he gets to enjoy retirement as a 27-year old.
