Vince Young is officially hanging up the cleats as an NFL quarterback.
Well, probably.
Young went on the Austin, Texas radio station KXAN on Saturday to announce that, unless a great offer arises, his playing days in the NFL are over.
“I’m retired,” Young told the station, via ESPN. “Unless we get a great opportunity, something guaranteed … I’ve already started moving forward. … It’s definitely official, I think, in my book.”
The 31-year-old’s announcement marks the (unofficial) end of a disappointing NFL career that started with great promise.
Young capped off a brilliant college career at Texas by leading the Longhorns to a thrilling victory over the USC Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl. That led the Tennessee Titans to take Young with the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft.
Young got off to a hot start in Tennessee, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2006, but could never capture that same magic after a falling out with Titans head coach Jeff Fisher.
“I had my ups and downs,” Young said. “I made the mistake of getting in to it with my coach, and that kind of hurt me a whole lot. When you go to different teams, they already have a bad perception of you. When that’s out there, there’s nothing you can do.”
The former Texas star bounced around with four NFL teams in four years after the Titans released him in 2010 and was cut by the Cleveland Browns on May 12, just 11 days after signing with the team.
Young plans to stay in football by working at his alma mater in Austin.
