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Which NFL running backs should retire ahead of the upcoming 2025 NFL season? Dave Ventresca looks at five NFL players who could hang it up this offseason.
The reality of facing retirement is one that many professional athletes struggle to cope with. It's a difficult decision, and it's why we often see athletes continue playing well past their primes.
Running backs, specifically, have a notoriously short life span in the NFL. Careers are brief, and players are prone to see an unexpected drop in production from one year to the next. We saw several aging backs struggle this past year, and it might be time for a few to hang 'em up for good.
Here are five running backs who should consider retirement ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
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Raheem Mostert - Miami Dolphins
One year removed from scoring 21 touchdowns and finishing as the half-PPR RB2, Mostert completely fell off the planet in 2024.
He missed five games due to injury, only carried the ball 85 times, and registered a career-low 3.27 yards per carry. The veteran also never played in more than 56% of offensive snaps in any game this year, a far cry from the player we saw in 2023.
RAHEEM MOSTERT RUSHING TOUCHDOWN!!!!! pic.twitter.com/6lpPQMUTME
— Sideline Daily (@sideline_daily) November 5, 2023
Mostert, who turns 33 in April, has an out in his contract this offseason. The Miami Dolphins can cut him and only incur a $1 million dead cap hit. Combine the emergence of De'Von Achane with Mostert's play this past season, and it shouldn't be too surprising if Miami moves on.
The veteran back was touted last offseason as someone who could potentially play at a high level well into his 30s because he saw little usage earlier in his career. This is a good reminder of how quickly things change and that it's generally a smart move to fade older backs, regardless of the proverbial tread left on their tires.
Ezekiel Elliott - Los Angeles Chargers
What a fall from grace for Elliott over the last few seasons.
He's gone from the Dallas Cowboys lead back to being replaced by Tony Pollard, only to be brought back to Dallas and be thoroughly outplayed by Rico Dowdle.
Elliott had by far the worst season of his career and posted career lows across the board. Dallas even suspended him for conduct detrimental to the team when he was unhappy about his role. Dallas eventually released the ninth-year back, and the Los Angeles Chargers recently signed Elliott to their practice squad.
This looks like it could be the end of Elliott's career, as his downward trend continued in 2024. At 29 years old and coming off a season in which he averaged a putrid 3.1 yards per carry, it's probably for the best that Elliott walks away.
Jamaal Williams - New Orleans Saints
It wasn't that long ago in 2022 when Williams was beloved by fantasy gamers and scored a whopping 17 rushing touchdowns en route to an RB13 finish.
The Detroit #Lions now lead the Philadelphia #Eagles 7-0 after this Jamaal Williams rushing #touchdown pic.twitter.com/oRZD37Gm2X
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) September 11, 2022
Since leaving the Detroit Lions for the New Orleans Saints, however, Williams just hasn't been the same player. Yes, circumstances can partially be blamed, as New Orleans doesn't have the same offensive line or potent offensive attack as the Lions. But the fact remains that Williams has struggled since leaving Detroit, averaging below 4.0 yards per carry in each of his two seasons.
Playing behind Alvin Kamara doesn't help matters, but Williams' usage and stats speak for themselves. It was a fun ride, but things could be coming to an end.
Nick Chubb - Cleveland Browns
Chubb's 2024 never got off the ground.
He returned late in the year from a devastating knee injury that ended his 2023 season but struggled to return to form. He averaged a career-worst 3.3 yards per carry, far and away the worst mark of his career after clearing the 5.0 mark in each of his previous six seasons.
It was a long shot for him to have a strong 2024, given the Browns' struggles and his return from a horrific injury at age 29, but this was worse than expected. His contract with the Browns expires this offseason, and the team might be hesitant to bring him back after seeing his play. We will have to see if he garners any interest as a free agent, although this may have been Chubb's last stand.
Hopefully, a team will take a chance on him, and we can see a J.K. Dobbins-esque return to form, but it's hard to be optimistic about his 2025 outlook as of now.
Gus Edwards - Los Angeles Chargers
Following a 13-touchdown season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, Edwards signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers this past offseason.
He received a heap of praise from general manager Joe Hortiz as being a potential workhorse back, but that ultimately never came to fruition. Edwards struggled mightily this past season and averaged a career-worst 3.6 yards per carry. He also finished 39th out of 47 eligible backs in Next Gen Stats' Rush Yards Over Expected (RYOE) and 40th in Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt (RYOE/ATT).
The seventh-year veteran was supplanted as the Chargers starter early in the season by the aforementioned J.K. Dobbins, who staged a remarkable comeback season after tearing his Achilles tendon in 2023. Entering his age-30 season in 2025, Edwards appears to be on the back nine of his career.
It might be time for the "Gus Bus" to pull off the road and park in the garage for good.
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