X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Time To Hang It Up: Five NFL Defensive Stars Who Should Retire Right Now

aaron donald fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

Which NFL defensive players should retire after the 2022 season? Should you trade these aging players away from your IDP dynasty team? Mitch Blatt looks at five NFL players who could hang it up in the upcoming 2022-23 offseason.

Sometimes when you are late into a Sunday afternoon watching the Red Zone Network, you see a random player on your screen you didn't think played anymore. He's wearing an unfamiliar uniform. Maybe you only catch a glimpse of him when the camera pans the sideline bench. And you think, "Wait. He's still playing?!"

J.J. Watt retired this offseason at just the right time. He played all sixteen games and recorded 12.5 sacks, his first double-digit season since 2018. He made two sacks in his final game ever, and Red Zone shifted coverage to Arizona to show the crowd giving him a standing ovation at the two-minute warning. That is the way to go.

As a fan, you don't want to see players try to stay around for too long and damage their hard-earned legacies. Here are five once-great gridiron warriors who ought to hang it up right now.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

#1. Aaron Donald, DT/DE, Age 31

2022 Stats: 11 games, 49 tackles, 5.0 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery

Actually, Donald should have followed Andrew Whitworth and retired after the 2022 Super Bowl rather than suffer through the 2022 Rams season. He had his ring. He just turned thirty. He had been selected to the All-Pro first team for seven straight years. He had nothing left to prove.

But maybe he (like the NFL schedule-makers) overestimated the Rams' chances of repeating. Well, the season quickly went downhill. The Rams went 5-12. Like many of the Rams' starters, Donald got injured and missed six games toward the end of the year.

He had an alright season, making 5.0 sacks and 49 combined tackles in 11 games, but it wasn't close to his previous seasons. He missed being selected to the All-Pro team for the first time since his rookie season. It won't get much better for the Rams this season.

 

#2. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Age 36

2022 Stats: eight games, ten combined tackles, 1.0 sack

In his 20s, Suh won Defensive Rookie of the Year and made the All-Pro team five times. He made over 60 combined tackles three times as a defensive tackle, setting a career-high with 72 at age 29. But his production started to trail off as soon as he hit 30. That year, he only made 48 tackles, his lowest total in four years, and he never again would be the same force crashing on running backs behind the line of scrimmage.

After three wanting years with the Buccaneers, no team wanted him heading into the 2022 season, but the Eagles eventually added him when Jordan Davis suffered a late-season injury. In eight games as a rotational player, Suh made 10 tackles, two QB hits, and one sack.

 

#3. Bruce Irvin, DE, Age 36

2022 Stats: 11 games, 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks

The 36-year-old edge rusher says we shouldn't assume he's done. He should be done. If 2022 is his last season, he will have gone out on a high note.

Selected by the Seattle Seahawks No. 15 overall in 2012, he was a fearsome player who routinely knocked balls loose and approached double-digit sack totals. He didn't play up to his first-round status, but he was a quality starter and a part of the Legion of Boom that allowed the fewest points in each of his first four years in the league. Irvin made history in Super Bowl XLIX, sacking Tom Brady and punching Rob Gronkowski in the closing seconds, making him the only player to ever get ejected from a Super Bowl.

After the Seahawks, he spent three seasons with the Raiders, but he's been bouncing around ever since, rejoining the Seahawks for two games in 2020, making seven tackles for the Bears in 2021. In 2022, he once again joined the Seahawks practice squad and was elevated to the starting lineup for ten games, during which time he made 28 sacks and 3.5 sacks, which is 3.5 more than he did in the preceding two years. To return to the team that drafted him and have the best season he's likely ever going to have again is a good way to go.

 

#4. Josh Norman, CB, Age 37

2022 Stats: two games, eight tackles, four receptions (one TD) allowed on six targets

Josh Norman took some time to build up to the status of shutdown corner. After rising and then falling in the run-up to the 2012 Draft, the Coastal Carolina product was drafted in the fifth round by Carolina. He played so poorly that he was benched in 2013, but by the second half of 2014, he was put on the opposing team's number-one receiver.

In 2015, he held DeAndre Hopkins to 53 yards, T.Y. Hilton to 15 yards, Dez Bryant to 6 yards, and Julio Jones to 33 yards. He was an epic trash talker and physical nuisance. He got into Odell Beckham Jr's head and caused him to commit three personal fouls, including a punch that resulted in a one-game suspension. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, Normal allowed fewer than 54% of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed.

But by 2018, his coverage skills and tackling ability both began to decline precipitously. Opposing quarterbacks went after him, and he allowed completions over 67% of the time in each of his past five seasons. He was back with the Panthers for the final two games of the 2022 season after injuries were piling up, and he looked done.

 

#5. Anthony Barr, LB, Age 31

2022 Stats: 14 games, 58 tackles, 1.0 sack, zero forced fumbles, zero fumble recoveries

The last of Barr's four Pro Bowls was five years ago. The former No. 9 overall pick was solid across the board early in his stint with the Vikings. He could create a couple of turnovers, put hits on the quarterback, and make five combined tackles a game.

Later, his seasons would always be disrupted by injury. He has missed two or more games every year since 2018, including missing 14 games in 2020 with a torn pec.

He was a depth piece on the Cowboys in 2022, his first season apart from the Vikings, and he wasn't making the grade. Now he's a free agent. He shouldn't look for a new home.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Beaux Collins

Working with Giants Starters
Marquise Brown

Feels 100% Healthy
Houston Texans

Texans Signing Damon Arnette
Jaire Alexander

Inks One-Year Deal with Ravens
Jared Wiley

Wearing Knee Brace at Minicamp
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks to Continue Momentum Into Travelers Championship
Anders Carlson

Jets Release Anders Carlson
Malik Nabers

Will be Ready for Training Camp
TreVeyon Henderson

Unclear if TreVeyon Henderson is a Future Bell-Cow Back
Hideki Matsuyama

Searching for Consistency at Travelers Championship
Justin Thomas

Looks to Bounce Back at Travelers Championship
Travis Hunter

More Comfortable on Defense?
Adam Scott

Looks to Rebound After Disappointing U.S. Open Finish
Collin Morikawa

Eyeing Another Strong Performance at Travelers
Shane Lowry

a High-Upside Play at Travelers
Tommy Fleetwood

Looks to Rebound at Travelers
Corey Conners

Withdraws from Travelers with Wrist Injury
Keegan Bradley

in Solid Form Ahead of Travelers Championship
Gary Woodland

Hit-or-Miss at the Travelers
Sepp Straka

Expected to Contend at Travelers Championship
Andrew Novak

on the Radar for Travelers Championship Success
Tyrese Haliburton

to Be a Game-Time Call Thursday
Roman Josi

Expects to Return for 2025-26 Campaign
Sam Bennett

Wins Conn Smythe Trophy
Tom Kim

Enjoys Solid U.S. Open After Canada Misstep
Matthew Tkachuk

Reveals Multiple Injuries
Aleksander Barkov

Posts Two Assists in Cup-Clinching Win
Carter Verhaeghe

Collects Hat Trick of Assists in Tuesday's Win
Max Greyserman

Playing Steady Heading to Travelers Championship
Sam Reinhart

Scores Four Goals in Cup-Clincher
Matt Fitzpatrick

Strives for Better Result at Travelers Championship
Thomas Detry

Battles for Solid Result at Oakmont
Daniel Berger

Looks for Birdies at Travelers Championship
Cal Raleigh

Homers, Drives in Six on Tuesday
Andy Pages

Homers Twice in Win Over Padres
Cam Smith

Launches Two Home Runs in Victory
Salvador Perez

Homers Twice, Plates Four Tuesday
Michael Toglia

Homers Twice, Plates Three Tuesday
Javier Báez

Javier Baez Collects Three Hits, Homers Twice Tuesday
Las Vegas Raiders

Jeremy Chinn Will Continue to Play Multiple Roles With Raiders
Christian Wilkins

Absent at Minicamp
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders to Add Cornerback Help?
Rafael Devers

Expected to Play First Base in San Francisco
Will Warren

Strikes Out 11 in Quality Start
Elijah Ellis

Signs with Chargers
Jashaun Corbin

Heading to Atlanta
Kyren Williams

Rams Progressing Toward Extension
Jaxson Dart

Showing Well Early
Max Scherzer

Could Rejoin Blue Jays Next Week
John Klingberg

Rejoins Oilers Lineup Tuesday
Tylor Megill

Placed on 15-Day Injured List, Out 4-5 Weeks With Elbow Sprain
Kasperi Kapanen

Returns to Oilers Lineup for Game 6
Stuart Skinner

Back in Oilers Crease Tuesday
Gabriel Moreno

Scratched on Tuesday With Sore Hand
Rory McIlroy

a Good Course Horse at TPC River Highlands
Scottie Scheffler

Looks to Defend Title at Travelers Championship
Viktor Hovland

a Strong Play at Travelers Championship
Deebo Samuel Sr.

Dan Quinn Says Deebo Samuel Sr. Still Has Plenty of Speed
Sam Burns

' Near Miss at Oakmont May Not Mean Big Things at Travelers
Jalen Coker

Not a Roster Lock?
Ryan Fitzgerald

Favored to Win Panthers Kicking Job?
Efton Chism III

Mixing in with First-Team Offense
Jurickson Profar

Starting Rehab Assignment on Tuesday
Derion Kendrick

Rams Bring Back Derion Kendrick
Will Vest

Likely to Avoid Injured List
Rafael Devers

Expected to Make Giants Debut on Tuesday
Chet Holmgren

Has Tough Shooting Night in Game 5 Against Pacers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Outstanding at Both Ends Monday
Jalen Williams

Erupts for 40 Points in Game 5 Win
Pascal Siakam

Has Best Game of Finals Monday
Tyrese Haliburton

Determined to Battle Through Calf Injury
LeBron James

Progressing Well From Knee Injury
Lucas Giolito

Strikes Out Season-High 10 in Monday's Win
Logan Gilbert

Fans 10 in Return on Monday
Ryan Pepiot

Strikes Out 11 in Win
Hunter Goodman

Homers Twice, Drives in Three
Stephen Curry

"Not Even Close" to Retirement
Jonathan Kuminga

Linked to Bulls, Heat
Kevin Durant

Has "No Desire" to be Traded to Minnesota
Isaac Paredes

Returns as DH on Monday
Jarace Walker

Remains Sidelined for Game 5
Justin Verlander

Returning to the Rotation on Wednesday
Giancarlo Stanton

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Kamaru Usman

Gets Back In The Win Column
Joaquin Buckley

Winning Streak Comes To An End
Miranda Maverick

Drops Decision At UFC Atlanta
Rose Namajunas

Wins Decision At UFC Atlanta
Andre Petroski

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Edmen Shahbazyan

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Raoni Barcelos

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Chase Elliott

Ends Mexico City with A Great Finish of Third
Christopher Bell

has A Strong Runner-Up Performance At Mexico City
Chase Briscoe

Wild Day Ends with A Top-10 Finish
Michael McDowell

Leaves Mexico City with A Top-Five Finish
Cody Garbrandt

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Brundage

Defeated After Accidental Clash Of Heads
Cody Brundage

Mansur Abdul-Malik Defeats Cody Brundage By Technical Decision
Oumar Sy

Suffers His First Loss
Alonzo Menifield

Scores Upset Win
Alex Bowman

Delivers Bravura Performance After Michigan Injury
Tyler Reddick

Inexplicably Mediocre on his Once-Best Track Type
John Hunter Nemechek

Canny Strategy Gives John Hunter Nemechek Best Career Road-Course Finish
Cole Custer

Earns Best Finish Since Cup-Series Comeback at Mexico City
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

on the Move to Memphis
Cole Anthony

Dealt to the Grizzlies
Desmond Bane

Traded to Orlando
Steven Adams

Rockets Agree to Three-Year Contract Extension
Ty Dillon

Is a Respectable Cap Flexiblity-Focused DFS Option For Mexico City
Corey Perry

Produces 10th Postseason Goal
Connor McDavid

Scores First Finals Goal
John Hunter Nemechek

Is John Hunter Nemechek Worth Rostering In Mexico City DFS Lineups?
Sam Bennett

Nets Another Road Goal in Game 5 Win
Eetu Luostarinen

Earns Two Points Saturday
Brad Marchand

Pots Two Goals in Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Ties NHL Record with 10th Road Win
Ross Chastain

Trackhouse Racing's Mexico Focus Makes Ross Chastain a Leading Contender for the Win
Kyle Busch

One of Two Past Mexico City Winners in the Field
Ryan Preece

Earns Surprising Front-Row Start
Austin Cindric

Not as Strong of a Road Racer as People Think
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Stronger on Infield Road Courses Than Purpose-Built Ones
Joey Logano

Seemingly Alternating Between Good and Mediocre Races
Brad Keselowski

One of the Few Drivers with Mexico City Experience
Denny Hamlin

Ryan Truex Makes First Cup Series Start Since 2014
Erik Jones

Mexico City Will Likely be a Struggle for Erik Jones
Noah Gragson

Front Row Motorsports' Speed May Make Noah Gragson a Decent DFS Option
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Road Courses Are Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s Worst Track Type
Evander Kane

Drops to Fourth Line Saturday
Kasperi Kapanen

Won't Play on Saturday
Calvin Pickard

Starts Game 5 for Oilers
Tyrese Haliburton

Struggles in Friday's Loss to OKC
Chet Holmgren

Dominates the Glass in Game 4
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Leads the Way in Game 4
Jalen Williams

Has a Quality Showing on Friday Night
Russell Westbrook

to Decline Player Option
Kevin Durant

Trade Could Happen in the "Next Few Days"
Joaquin Buckley

Set For Main Event
Kamaru Usman

An Underdog At UFC Atlanta
Miranda Maverick

Set For Co-Main Event
Rose Namajunas

Looks To Bounce Back
Andre Petroski

Looks To Extend His Win Streak To Four
Edmen Shahbazyan

A Favorite At UFC Atlanta
Raoni Barcelos

Set To Take On Former Champion
Cody Garbrandt

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mansur Abdul-Malik

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Connor Hellebuyck

Wins Vezina And Hart Trophies
Aleksander Barkov

Records Two Power-Play Assists Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Collects Three Points in Thursday's Loss
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF