Vince Wilfork still leaning toward retirement
January 28, 2017 Updated: January 28, 2017 12:38pm
Wilfork played in the NFL for 13 seasons, earning two Super Bowl and being named to five Pro Bowls.
Wilfork reiterated that he's strongly leaning toward retirement and expects to make that decision official within the next few weeks, barring an unexpected change of heart.
"I had a great, wonderful career," Wilfork said at the George R. Brown Convention Center. "I'm at a point now where I think I've played my last game. I'm happy with that, if that's the case."
Since the Texans' 36-17 defeat in an AFC divisional-round playoff game at the hands of the AFC champion New England Patriots, his former team, Wilfork hasn't changed his stance on stepping away from football. The 35-year-old former Patriots first-round draft pick from Miami doesn't expect to change his mind.
"I think I have, I think I have," Wilfork said when asked if he's played his last football game. "I've been away from the game about two weeks and the more and more I'm away from the game the more and more I'm starting to like life after football. It's not official yet, but I'm definitely leaning towards being retired.
"Probably in a couple more weeks I'll confirm it. It's hard to walk away from something that you really love. In watching the Super Bowl and coming here,I'm still eager. I want to play right now, but, at the same time, I really don't want to. It's not a decision I'm rushing to do. I'm going to take my time on it."
Wilfork has consulted with close friends and former teammates, including Randy Moss, Kevin Faulk and Mike Vrabel, about his decision. They all told him that he would recognize the feeling of when it's the right time to hang up his cleats.
He declined to give percentages on his chances of retiring, emphasizing he's an all-or-nothing type.
Regardless of the timing of his pending retirement announcement, Wilfork created a lasting legacy in several unique ways. He provided a stout anchor in the middle of the Texans and Patriots' defenses, helping the Texans achieve the top defensive ranking in the NFL this season.
In the locker room, Wilfork was a wise presence who gave sage advice to younger players who soaked up knowledge from him as they huddled around him and hung on his every word. In the community,
Wilfork and his wife, Bianca, were generous contributors all over the country.
Wilfork is a big man with an equally large heart.
"I left my soul on the field," Wilfork said. "I played with a passion. I had a lot of fun. I loved my teammates. I gave football my all. I never played football half-speed. Everything I had, they got. I don't think too much about my legacy.
"I just think about how it felt and what it meant for me to be a professional football player, the honor I felt for the career that I had. I played for two amazing organizations. It don't get no bigger than the NFL. The NFL is the one sport everybody dreams about. I had a dream that I lived out. That dream was actually a game we all dream about as little kids."
If Wilfork retires this year, he would be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in five years. It's not a goal the classic 3-4 nose tackle sought, but he would gladly accept that honor.
"I never played the game for that, I never thought about that," Wilfork said. "When I first heard somebody talking about that was my last year in New England you have a lot of kids that's young and they look at me as ancient. They grew up watching me play.
"I played the game because I loved it. I never looked at myself as the greatest of all time. I looked at myself as wanting to be great in the moment for my team for my city I always lived in the moment. I loved football. I had a passion for football. If it happens, it would be an honor. I consider myself a football player. I don't care about the accolades. the one accolade I care about is that Lombardi."
Wilfork carefully carried the championship trophy to the podium, walking slowly up the steps in what's likely his last act as an active NFL player.
The Friendswood resident acknowledged how painful it is that the Texans didn't reach the big game.
"I tell you what any time a Super Bowl comes to your hometown you want to be playing in it," Wilfork said. "As a Houston Texan, it sucks to not be playing in this game, but I think it's awesome for the city, for fans of football in Houston to have something like this.
"At the end of the day, we are America's sport. Everybody around the globe is going to be watching this game. It brings me back to the moment when I won it, the feeling, understanding what it is to be a Super Bowl champ."
