Eric Decker announced his retirement from professional football in an Instagram post on Sunday. The veteran wide receiver had signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots in early August.
Eric Decker Retires From the NFL
Decker’s future with the Patriots was fraught with uncertainty. Several weak preseason showings against the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers cast serious doubts about his ability to carve out a place on the depth chart, despite a handful of lesser names on the roster.
His seven-year career began with the Denver Broncos after being taken in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. After a famine of a rookie year, Decker’s size and talent forced him into the spotlight, and he burst onto the scene with eight touchdowns on 44 receptions. He posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2012 and 2013, catching 24 touchdowns for Denver over two years.
In 2014, the talented wide receiver signed a five-year deal with the New York Jets as possibly the best receiver on the market at the time. Decker saw similar success in New York, pulling in 962 and 1,027 yards in his first two seasons as a Jet.
But his career as a Jet took a turn for the worst in 2016 when Decker was fined $9,115 for a brutal late hit against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Josh Shaw. In less than a month, Decker found himself on the Injured Reserve list with a shoulder injury. Later that off-season, the Jets informed him that he would either be cut or traded, ending his career in New York.
In 2017, Decker played a full, but mediocre season for the Tennessee Titans. In 16 games, the receiver caught fewer than 600 yards for the first time in a 14+ game season in his career and snagged only a single touchdown.
When the Patriots signed Decker in August, the reunion between the seven-year veteran and his former head coach Josh McDaniels was expected to be fruitful for both Decker’s career and McDaniels’ Patriots offense. His unexpected departure will leave several questions on the receiving depth chart for New England.
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