At 37-years old, veteran linebacker London Fletcher of the Washington Redskins is seriously considering retirement after 15 years in the NFL.
The playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday may have been the last time Fletcher puts on his pads for the Redskins. The veteran linebacker said the following about his immediate future via Mike Jones of The Washington Post:
“I’ll take some time to let the emotions of the season kind of get away, refresh a little bit and then sit down with my family and make the decision from there as far as whether I’ll continue to play or not, he said Sunday.”
Fletcher is one of the few players in the league that has been able to play a decade and a half while maintaining a high level of play. The longtime Redskins linebacker finished Sunday’s game with a team-high 15 tackles while recording half a sack and deflecting one pass.
As if his numbers in one playoff game at 37-years old isn’t impressive enough, Fletcher was among the league’s leaders in tackles during the 2012 season with 139 and recorded a career-high five interceptions.
During his 15-year career in the NFL, Fletcher has played for four different teams. The veteran linebacker started his career with the St. Louis Rams winning his first and only Super Bowl title in 1999. Fletcher then signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2002 and after five successful years in Buffalo he signed a five-year deal with the Redskins worth $25 million.
With Fletcher still playing at a high level, the Redskins will likely be interested in retaining him for one or two more years. It’s all up to the veteran at this point in time as he may be leaning towards retirement rather than prolonging the inevitable for another payday and an outside chance of contending for a Super Bowl title in Washington.
