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Which fantasy football players retired during the 2025 offseason? Joey looks at the players who hung up their cleats for good before the 2025 NFL season starts.
This offseason saw many notable players retire from the NFL. Some of these players included potential Hall of Famers (cornerback Patrick Peterson, guard Zack Martin, and tackle Tyron Smith) and several players who were elite at the height of their careers (center Frank Ragnow, tackle Terron Armstead, tackle Jason Peters, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and defensive end Brandon Graham).
That list doesn't even mention solid careers from now-retired tackle Ryan Ramczyk, linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Micah Hyde, and defensive end Sam Hubbard. There were also a ton of offensive players who we all used to draft in fantasy football leagues over the years who decided to hang it up this offseason.
So, let's look at which former fantasy football players retired during the 2025 offseason.
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QB Derek Carr
It came as somewhat of a surprise when quarterback Derek Carr decided to retire on May 10. He just turned 34 years old and still had two years left on his four-year, $150 million deal he signed with the New Orleans Saints before the 2023 season. However, a shoulder injury sustained in March forced Carr into retirement.
The veteran could have opted for surgery, which would have resulted in him missing the entire 2025 season. Instead, Carr decided to hang it up after an 11-year career. The Fresno State product was never a fantasy superstar, but he was a reliable QB2 option in Superflex leagues over his career. He finished between the QB13 and QB20 in 10 of his 11 seasons.
Carr walks away from the game with 41,245 pass yards, 257 touchdowns, and four Pro Bowl appearances. His best NFL season came early in his career when he was an MVP candidate during the 2016 campaign. He led the Raiders to a 12-3 record that year while throwing for 3,937 yards and 28 touchdowns before breaking his right fibula in Week 16.
Derek Carr announces his retirement from the NFL
🏈 11 seasons
🏈 4x Pro Bowler
🏈 257 TDs
🏈 41k passing yards (top 25 all-time)
🏈 3rd-place in 2016 MVP vote https://t.co/cbS10XuAn6 pic.twitter.com/Z9oN3IIz5W— NFL (@NFL) May 10, 2025
All in all, it was a successful NFL career for Carr.
WR Julio Jones
There's no doubt that Julio Jones was one of the best wide receivers in the game during the 2010s. He led all wide receivers with 12,125 receiving yards across that decade while ranking third in catches (797), only behind Larry Fitzgerald (855) and Antonio Brown (841). While the 2020s weren't as nice to Jones, he is almost a guaranteed lock to make the Hall of Fame.
Julio Jones is one of the greatest to ever walk on a football field. pic.twitter.com/xuh5yub6Ik
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) May 29, 2025
Jones bounced around in the latter part of his career, playing for four different teams in each of his last four NFL seasons. He played with the Falcons in 2020, the Titans in 2021, the Buccaneers in 2022, and ended his career with the Eagles in 2023. After not signing with a team last year, the former Alabama star officially announced his retirement on April 4, 2025.
Most of Jones's success came in the first nine years of his career (2012 to 2019). He made seven Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro first team selections during that span. He also emerged as a must-draft WR1 in fantasy in those years, finishing as a top-7 wide receiver six different times. The longtime Falcons wide receiver ends his career with 914 catches, 13,703 yards, and 66 touchdowns.
WR Mike Williams
After signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers in March, wide receiver Mike Williams was set to play his ninth NFL season in 2025. Even though Williams didn't have much success with the Jets or Steelers in 2024, the veteran was going to be a part of Los Angeles's offense in some capacity this year.
He was expected to battle with rookie Tre Harris and third-year wide receiver Quentin Johnston for the WR2 and WR3 roles in this offense during training camp. Given Williams' experience and familiarity with quarterback Justin Herbert, he had a strong chance to begin the year as the team's WR3. Nonetheless, things changed very quickly in July.
Williams was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on July 14 due to a minor injury and then decided to announce his retirement a few days later. The 30-year-old ends his career after eight NFL seasons, seven of which came with the Los Angeles Chargers. He finishes with 330 catches, 5,104 yards, and 32 touchdowns.
The Clemson product was never a consistent fantasy option in his career, with seven seasons finishing outside the top 30 at the wide receiver position in PPR formats. However, in his one elite fantasy season (2021), Williams finished as the overall WR12 in PPR formats while averaging 15.4 fantasy points per game.
K Mason Crosby
There were definitely a few surprising retirements this offseason, but kicker Mason Crosby was not one of them. Crosby turns 41 years old in September and hasn't been able to land a consistent NFL job since the Packers chose not to re-sign him after the 2022 season. He kicked just three games for the Giants in 2023 and didn't appear in any contests last year.
So, Crosby decided it was time to hang up his cleats on February 4, 2025. The former Colorado alum played 18 seasons in the NFL, 17 of which came with the Green Bay Packers. He is the Packers' all-time leading scorer (1,918 points), all-time leader in field goals made (395), and has the most games played in franchise history (258).
Mason Crosby, who’s wearing his Super Bowl ring: “I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank Aaron for getting me in position to score all those points.” pic.twitter.com/Eg8HN8LjwE
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 7, 2025
Mason ends his career with an 81.3% field goal percentage (400-for-492), a 97.2% extra point percentage (739-for-760), and 12 game winners. His most memorable game-winning kick came in the 2016 NFC Divisional Round against the Dallas Cowboys when he nailed a 51-yarder as time expired. There's no doubt that Mason had a fantastic NFL career that spanned from 2007 to 2023.
QB Jordan Travis
This list is full of surprising retirements, and quarterback Jordan Travis' decision to call it quits came as a shock to everyone. Travis was just selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. However, a serious leg injury that he suffered in his final college season at Florida State led to his retirement.
Travis spent the entire 2024 season on the non-football injury list as he worked his way back from a fractured/dislocated ankle injury. Unfortunately, his leg didn't respond well to treatment following his injury. As a result, doctors advised the former Florida State quarterback to retire from the game.
If Travis never got hurt during that 2023 college season, it would have been interesting to see how his NFL career played out. He likely would have gone higher in the 2024 NFL Draft and could have seen some opportunities as a rookie based on where he landed.
WR Chris Conley
Wide receiver Chris Conley announced his retirement from the league on June 7 after 10 long seasons in the NFL. Although Conley was never a superstar playmaker over his career, he contributed solid WR3 numbers in some years. His best campaign came in 2019 when he totaled 47 catches for 775 yards and five touchdowns with the Jaguars.
Conley played for five different teams in his career (Chiefs, Jaguars, Texans, Titans, and 49ers) and spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the 49ers. The 32-year-old will end his NFL career with 226 catches, 2,998 yards, and 15 touchdowns. The 10-year veteran plans to attend film school at his alma mater (Georgia) following his retirement.
Others who retired: Richie James
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