Warren Sapp Officially Retires After 13-Year Hall of Fame Bound Career

Defensive tackle Warren Sapp has officially filed his retirement paperwork with the NFL, more than two months after he told teammates he would retire following the close of the season. The move will free up about $4 million in salary cap space for the Raiders.

Sapp played the last 4 seasons with the Oakland Raiders, after spending the previous 9 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a Super Bowl win against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. He will be remembered as one of, if not the premier "three technique" defensive tackle in NFL history.

Originally one of the top prospects in the 1995 NFL Draft, Sapp slid on draft day amid concerns he had smoked pot in college, and that infatuation with Mary Jane use might affect his future NFL performance. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers nabbed him with the 12th overall pick in the 1st round, and he went on to be a 7-time Pro Bowl selection, and 6-time NFL All-Pro selection, and was awarded the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Sapp will leave the game with 573 tackles and 96.5 sacks, good for second most in NFL history by a defensive tackle, only behind John Randle.

Favre Packs It In

Living legend Brett Favre has called it quits from the NFL and the Green Bay Packers, according to numerous reports from media outlets in both Mississippi and nationally. Having waffled over retirement the past few years, Favre has decided to hang up the cleats for good, and goes out on his own terms, holding most of the NFL's career passing records. Favre will leave the game holding the records for most career touchdowns (442), interceptions (288), pass attempts (8,758), completions (5,377), yards (61,655), and games with at least 3 touchdowns (63), wins by a starting quaterback (160). Favre will go down as the NFL's "Iron Man," as he also holds the record for most consecutive games started by a quarterback (253 games), which ranks second at all positions only to defensive end Jim Marshall (270 games).


When NFL historians look back at the career of Favre, they will see the NFL's only 3 time MVP winner, and a man who overcame substance addiction and personal loss on his way to eventually becoming the League's most prolific passer in history. Adored by Green Bay fans, and hated by Chicago Bears fans, who he continually tormented in his personal domination of the Bears, Favre lead the Packers to two Super Bowls, including a win in Super Bowl XXXI. He was a 9 time Pro Bowler, and was elected to the NFL's distinguished All-Pro team a whopping 7 times.

Favre's departure leaves former 2005 1st round draft pick Aaron Rodgers as the starting quaterback for the Pack, and journeyman Craig Nall as the backup. Rodgers has appeared in 7 games, mostly in mop-up or injury relief duty, and completed 35 of 59 passes for 1 touchdown and 1 interception, good for a 73.3 quarterback rating. A broken foot in 2006 and 2007 will raise questions about the durability of Rodgers, but now is his chance to shine. Favre was scheduled to count against the 2008 salary cap for $12.8 million ($12 million base salary, $800K prorated signing bonus), so the Packers will gain the $12 million minus the prorated signing bonus amount, and are now under the projected $116 million salary cap for 2008 by about $36 million.

Rams Kicker Wilkins Retires, Then Rams Sign Josh Brown to 5-Year$14.2 Million Deal

The St. Louis Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins has announced his retirement, and will as the team's all-time leading scorer. Wilkins started his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994, then played with the San Francisco 49ers in 1995-1996, before ultimately latching on with the Rams in 1997, where he has played the last 11 years. He will leave as one of the NFL's most accurate kickers, having made 81.9% of his field goals, and 99.4% of point after attempts.

After Wilkins' announcement, the Rams moved quickly to sign his replacement, inking Pro Bowl kicker Josh Brown to a 5-year $14.2 million contract, including $4 million signing bonus, which is the most ever for a kicker's contract.

The Seahawks made Brown their franchise player last year, guaranteeing him a 1-year $2.078 million contract, but used the tag on cornerback Marcus Trufant this offseason. Seattle was rumored to be working on a long term deal with Brown, but the Rams apparently made a better offer and quickly struck a deal with the unrestricted free agent.

UPDATE 03/04/2008 11:01AM: Per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the contract breakdown is as follows: $4 million signing bonus, plus base salaries of $1 million in 2008, $1.8 million in 2009, $2 million in 2010, $2.7 million in 2011, and $2.7 million in 2012

Lynch Skips Retirement, Returns to Broncos For 1 More Year

Strong safety John Lynch has signed a one year contract at a reduced salary to stay with the Denver Broncos, who asked him to take a pay cut, and this will likely be his last year. The 2008 season will represent his 16th year in the NFL, where he has amassed 1075 tackles, 26 incterceptions, and 13 sacks.

Lynch was scheduled to make $3.12 million between base salary and roster bonus in 2008, the final year of his original contract signed with the Broncos. He was thinking of possibly retiring, or possibly hitting the free agent market and searching out more money elsewhere, as teams are flush with money this free agent period, and there are not a lot of quality safeties available. Lynch ultimately decided to stay in Denver at a reduced rate because of his family's familiarity and comfort with the area.