Luke Kuechly Retires From NFL Aged 28

Carolina Panthers captain Luke Kuechly announced his sudden retirement from the NFL via the team’s Twitter account on Tuesday night.

The linebacker has played eight seasons in the league, all with the Carolina Panthers. Luke Kuechly said he retired due to doubts that his body could could keep taking the strain of the NFL.

Luke Kuechly was drafted ninth by Carolina in the 2012 NFL Draft. He went on to establish himself as one of the league’s best defensive players. 

Kuechly won the AP Defensive Rookie of the year in 2012. The 28 year old is a seven time Pro Bowler, five time first-team All-Pro, as well as the 2013 AP Defensive POTY. He was a vital part of the Panthers team that reached the Super Bowl in 2015.

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“It’s never the right time to step away, but now is the right time for me. It’s a tough decision. I’ve thought about it a lot. I think now is the right chance for me to move on,” Kuechly said. 

“It makes me sad because I love playing this game, I’ve played it since I was a kid. It’s my favorite thing in the world to do. The memories I have from this place and this organization and playing on the field with these guys, they’ll never go away.

“There’s only one way to play this game since I was a little kid, it’s to play fast, play physical and play strong. And at this point I don’t know if I am able to do that anymore and that’s the part that’s the most difficult. I still want to play, but I don’t think it’s the right decision.”

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Kuechly calls time on his career with 118 starts in 118 games played. He has 18 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles, 12.5 sacks and 1,092 tackles.