Brandon Moore retires from NFL day after signing with Cowboys

Brandon Moore is retiring from the NFL, less than 24 hours after signing with the Cowboys. (Al Pereira/Getty Images)

Former New York Jets offensive guard Brandon Moore announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after signing a contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The 33-year-old former Pro Bowler told ESPN that he couldn't bring himself to get on the plane to California to join the Cowboys in training camp because he didn't want to "uproot his family."

His decision to retire means he will pass up on $2 million in salary that he had been offered by the Cowboys; he would've been paid a guaranteed base salary of $1.25 million, a $500,000 signing bonus and a $250,000 play time bonus in the one-year deal.

Moore, who spent his entire 10-year career in New York, said he couldn't sleep Tuesday night after agreeing to the deal and ultimately decided that the "big transition" to another city simply wasn't worth it:

"I was wrestling with it all day, going back and forth with my wife and family. Finally, we decided, 'Let's go ahead and do it.' I didn't sleep at all. I was wrestling with it. I realized it was too late in the game to uproot my family. I called my agent and said, 'I can't do it.' I played the game for 10 years. I lived in a house. I didn't have to go from team to team, so this would've been a big transition for me. You really don't grasp it until you actually agree to something. Then it was like, 'Wow, I have to leave tomorrow for California."

The Cowboys decided to sign him after receiving the news that Nate Livings will miss up to a month because of knee surgery last week. Moore brings an end to a career in which he started 142 of 144 games over his 11 seasons with the Jets:

"I've been truly blessed. I don't have any regrets about my career. I gave it my all. I'd like to be known as a dependable guy who showed up for work every day and gave it his all."

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