{"id":47967,"date":"2018-08-26T18:19:35","date_gmt":"2018-08-26T22:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=47967"},"modified":"2018-08-26T18:19:35","modified_gmt":"2018-08-26T22:19:35","slug":"eric-decker-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/08\/26\/eric-decker-announces-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Decker Announces Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eric Decker<\/a><\/strong> 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<\/a> in early August.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Eric Decker (@ericdecker)<\/a> on Aug 26, 2018 at 12:09pm PDT<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Eric Decker Retires From the NFL<\/h1>\n

Decker’s future with the Patriots was fraught with uncertainty. Several weak preseason showings<\/a> against the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> and Carolina Panthers<\/a> cast serious doubts about his ability to carve out a place on the depth chart, despite a handful of lesser names on the roster.<\/p>\n

His seven-year career began with the Denver Broncos<\/a>\u00a0after 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.<\/p>\n

In 2014, the talented wide receiver signed a five-year deal with the New York Jets<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Bengals<\/a>\u00a0cornerback\u00a0Josh Shaw<\/a><\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Decker played a full, but mediocre season for the Tennessee Titans<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

When the Patriots signed Decker in August, the reunion between the seven-year veteran and his former head coach\u00a0Josh McDaniels\u00a0<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>