More and more NFL players are deciding fame and fortune isn't worth their health

As the game of football continues to evolve, so do players' attitudes from what they were among previous generations. It wasn’t too long ago when you had to nearly drag an NFL player off the field before they’d call it quits.

Lately, that approach has changed, and many players are choosing to retire with their bodies still mostly intact. The most recent player to hang up his cleats before hitting age 30 is former Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny .

The former first-round pick signed with the Carolina Panthers in May. After an injury-riddled six-year career in Seattle and Philadelphia, Penny notified Panthers head coach Dave Canales he was done.

"He came up and just felt he wasn't himself,” Canales said . “I had to respect that going forward. I don't understand what that's like, to have a feel, to have a vision and wanting your body to do exactly what you're telling it to do and having it not respond in the right way.''

Penny’s retirement comes a week after former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup announced his exit from the game. Like Penny, Gallup played six years (all with Dallas) and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason.

Gallup was drafted in the third round of the same draft as Penny in 2018. Both players walk away at the age of 28. This early exit from the league is becoming far more common. Players of this generation are seemingly valuing their health and safety over riches.

Andrew Luck , who was a big star for the Indianapolis Colts for seven seasons, abruptly retired right before the start of the 2019 campaign. Luck was projected by many to be the second coming of John Elway but also decided he’d had enough before the age of 30.

Former linebacker Chris Borland played for the San Francisco 49ers for one year (2014) and then walked away from what looked like a promising career. Like many, Borland had concerns about repeated blows to the head resulting in concussions and chose his safety and well-being.

Regardless of the type of injuries, more guys are choosing themselves and their families over the material things and notoriety that come with playing NFL football. While not all early NFL retirees do so due to injury, many are beginning to walk away because of such concerns.

As the NFL continues to try to make the game as safe as possible, football is simply a sport that will never come anywhere close to being non-violent. With more information and data on head injuries in football coming out more often, we’re likely to see more and more players choose a potentially longer life over superstardom.