Former Arizona Cardinals starter retires

After signing with the New England Patriots, former Arizona Cardinals’ offensive tackle Jared Veldheer calls it quits on his NFL career.

Per Mike Reiss of ESPN via Twitter, Jared Veldheer, a former Arizona Cardinals starter has decided to retire from the NFL. The Cardinals traded Veldheer to the Denver Broncos last off-season. He didn’t see the same success in the mountains that he did in the desert and decided to sign with the Patriots just days prior to his retirement.

The offensive tackle will make $1.25 million in guaranteed money from the Patriots without playing a down for the team. Considering that he signed on with the Super Bowl champion for about $3.2 million just days ago, this comes as a bit of a surprise for the team.

Playing on both the left and right sides of the line, Veldheer played his best football for the Cardinals. In four seasons with the team, the 6-foot-8, 321-pound tackle started 53 regular season games for the Cardinals. He proved to be a solid bookend lineman for a competitive team in Arizona.

At 31 years old, Veldheer figured to have plenty of good football left in him. But, ultimately, injuries may have been the catalyst to his abrupt retirement. Throughout his career, he’s torn his triceps, broken his ankle, and sustained knee injuries. Nonetheless, it was still a successful nine-year career.

Most will remember Veldheer for his appearance on Super Bowl caliber Cardinals teams. But before that, he was a promising third-round pick that quickly made a name for himself on the Oakland Raiders. After giving the team in the desert a few solid years of play, we wish him nothing but the best in the next chapter of his life.