DeMarcus Ware announced on Monday that he has decided to retire from the NFL after 12 phenomenal seasons, and already we are hearing speculation that he could change his mind at some point in the near future.
Vic Lombardi of Altitude Sports Network in Denver said on “PFT Live” Tuesday that he would not be surprised if Ware’s retirement ends up being a “soft” one. By that, Lombardi means Ware could potentially decide he wants to keep playing at some point later in the year and even after training camp.
Ware, a free agent, would be eligible to sign with any team at any point. The fact that he was testing the market prior to making his retirement could indicate he was open to playing in 2017 but did not get any offers that enticed him. As Lombardi notes, Ware has remained in great shape and could get better offers from contending teams looking for a boost both on the field and in the locker room after the start of the regular season.
Ware will turn 35 this summer and has dealt with back issues in recent years, but there’s no question he can still be an impact player if healthy. While he reportedly had offers from a few teams that would have paid him decent money, it’s possible Ware had second thoughts about the grind of training camp. Perhaps he’ll have third thoughts when meaningful games start being played.
