Every NFL Player That Retired This Offseason

Projected Contracts, Landing Spots for the NFL’s 50 Best Free Agents in 2026 | When Does 2026 NFL Free Agency Start?

With the 2025 NFL season officially over, teams are beginning their preparations for the ‘26 campaign. Players are also beginning to look ahead to the upcoming season, with free agency set to begin in less than three weeks.

For some players, however, last season marked the end of the line for their NFL careers. There have been a handful of retirement announcements thus far into the offseason, and there are likely a few more still to come.

Here’s a look at every player to hang up their pads and call it a career since the end of the 2025 NFL season.

Philip Rivers, QB - Colts

Rivers retired after the Colts’s Week 18 loss against the Texans, officially ending his brief NFL comeback and one of the most beloved storylines of the entire season. At 44, Rivers played in three games for Indianapolis, during which he completed 63% of his passes and threw for four touchdowns and three interceptions. It was a short-lived but memorable return for Rivers, who heads back to retirement once again.

C.J. Ham, FB - Vikings

Ham spent his entire nine-year career with the Vikings and retired after the 2025 season at the age of 32. The veteran fullback ends his career as a two-time Pro Bowler and with eight total touchdowns in 141 games.

Adam Thielen, WR - Steelers

Thielen left the Vikings during the 2025 season in hopes of pursuing a championship. He landed with the Steelers, where he spent the final five games of the regular season. Thielen announced his retirement after Pittsburgh’s elimination in the playoffs, putting an end to his 12-year career. A two-time Pro Bowler, Thielen played for the Vikings, Panthers and Steelers and had 64 touchdown catches across 178 games.

Rob Havenstein, T - Rams

Havenstein has been with the Rams since the team still called St. Louis its home. After an 11-year career, he’s heading off for retirement. Havenstein was part of the Rams’ team that won the Super Bowl in 2021, and he’s appeared in 148 games for the franchise since being drafted in the second round back in 2015.

Robert Woods, WR - Rams

Woods didn’t play in the 2025 season after being released by the Steelers, and he signed a one-day contract to retire with the Rams in February. A week later, he joined their coaching staff. Woods played 12 seasons in the NFL with the Rams, Bills, Titans and Texans. He had 683 receptions for 8,233 yards and 38 touchdowns in 171 career games.

Bradley Bozeman, C - Chargers

Bradley Bozeman announced his intention to retire from the NFL after an eight-year career. He spent the last two seasons with the Chargers and started 33 games over that span. Prior to that, he had stints with the Ravens and Panthers, and was previously a national champion at Alabama.

Dan Skipper, T - Lions

Skipper spent nearly his entire career with the Lions, though he only made 16 starts and appeared in 66 games across eight seasons. Skipper isn’t walking away from the game of football, despite retiring. He’s already landed a job on Detroit’s coaching staff, remaining with the organization as an offensive assistant.

Rick Lovato, LS - Chargers

Lovato played 11 seasons in the NFL and earned Pro Bowl honors with the Eagles in 2019. The veteran long snapper appeared in 135 games in his career and spent nine seasons in Philadelphia, while also featuring for the Packers, Commanders and Chargers. He played in just nine games last year for L.A. before opting to retire in the offseason.

Will Clapp, C - Free Agent

Clapp didn’t play in 2025 and has played only one game since the start of the ‘24 season. He announced on Wednesday that he’d be retiring from the NFL at age 30. A former seventh-round pick out of LSU, Clapp played seven seasons in the NFL, spending time with the Saints, Chargers and Bills. A few days after retiring, Clapp was hired by New Orleans as an offensive assistant.

Drew Dalman, C - Bears

Dalman’s decision to walk away from football is one of the most surprising moves of the entire offseason thus far. The Bears’ offensive lineman is just 27 years old and made the Pro Bowl in 2025 for the first time in his career. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with Chicago last offseason, but is retiring just one year into that deal.