Former Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle is ready to retire

Former Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Jared Veldheer has elected to retire in light of the six-game suspension he was facing.

Seven years have passed since the Arizona Cardinals reaped the rewards of an absolutely incomprehensible decision by the Las Vegas Raiders organization.

The Cardinals were baffled that the Raiders neglected to use the franchise tag on the talented Jared Veldheer. Arizona general manager Steve Keim pounced, signing the free-agent left tackle to a five-year, $35 million contract.

Last Thursday, Veldheer announced that he was hanging up the cleats after 11 seasons as an NFL offensive lineman. The 33-year old was also facing a six-game suspension after testing positive for a controlled substance, and he was very candid in describing the reason for his indiscretion.

"“I was prescribed low dose clomid due to an abnormally low T (likely caused from pituitary damage suffered from repeated blows to the head). I recommend this to any veteran who is struggling with post-football issues.”"

Stint with Arizona Cardinals was certainly a successful one for Jared Veldheer

The 6-foot-8, 321-pounder spent four campaigns in the desert, and he saw action at both left and right tackle. Veldheer appeared in 53 games for the Cards, starting 40 contests on the left side and 13 on the right.

Veldheer’s first year with the team was his finest. In 2014, the former Hillsdale College product was the recipient of the franchise’s Lloyd Herberg award, an honor bestowed upon the Cardinals MVP for that season.

In March of 2018, Arizona traded Veldheer to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round draft pick. A year later, Veldheer signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, but then he prematurely retired just one week after joining the club.

After changing his mind about calling it quits, Veldheer was claimed off of the waiver wire later in 2019 by the Green Bay Packers.

In September of 2020, the veteran announced his retirement yet again, but then accepted an offer to join the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad that December.

This past January, Veldheer returned to the Packers, only to be placed on Green Bay’s Reserve/COVID-19 list a day later.

Sadly, Veldheer’s retirement statement indicates that he may be dealing with some health issues. Hopefully, the “repeated blows to the head,” that were mentioned is not a reference to CTE, the dreaded brain disease that has affected a large number of football players.

We at Raising Zona wish the classy Veldheer nothing but the best in his life after football.