Andrew Whitworth made headlines this week when he told Chris Long that it feels like the 2021 season will be his last in the NFL. He didn’t definitively say he’s going to retire after this season, but he’ll turn 40 in December and says he’s putting everything he has into this year.
“This year, to me, it feels like this is it,” he said. “I’ve put everything into trying to play this season and playing at the level I want to. I feel like this will probably be the end, but also, all my closest friends will tell you that I’ve said that for about seven straight years, so I don’t know how believable it is, but it feels like it is.”
The Rams signed Whitworth to a three-year extension last offseason, keeping him under contract through 2022. But there’s no reason he can’t still retire before his contract ends, and the Rams fully understand that.
If and when Whitworth does hang up his cleats for good, the Rams have options available when it comes to finding his heir at left tackle.
