At his retirement press conference Thursday, former Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson sidestepped questions about whether being offered a pay cut impacted his decision.
But he did admit it was an eye-opener for him when the Jets started looking at potential replacements.
Via Darryl Slater of NJ.com, Ferguson admitted that bringing Kelvin Beachum in on a free agent visit was something he wasn’t necessarily prepared for.
“That was difficult,” Ferguson said. “I think not to be the guy who automatically is the left tackle was something new to me. I was taken aback. I just wasn’t used to that. But at the same rate, I also recognized that this happens in football, right? You play your game, and then at a certain point, the game must end.
“There’s a natural progression in sports. No matter who you are, every player, there’s an end. I think, to me, that [offseason uncertainty] was a sign that, you know what, things are changing. It’s just not the next season. Something is different. It gave me time to really think about: ‘Well, Brick, what do you want?’ And this is what I wanted.”
The 32-year-old Ferguson didn’t miss a snap because of injury in his 10-year career (and only missed one snap, period), but he understood the realities of the game, and that as his play declined he’d likely be offered less. He said he wasn’t surprised that it might come up, but tap-danced when asked if he’d have come back barring their interest in others or in him taking less money.
“I don’t know that I could live in hypotheticals,” he said. “Situations happened as they did. I just feel like, based on all the information that I had, it led me to a certain decision. I’m excited today. I recognize this is a closing of a chapter, which I think does have me feeling a little saddened. But I’ve been celebrated, and I don’t think I could ask for anything more. This couldn’t be any better for me.”
Making $10.4 million might have softened the fall a bit, but once it became clear that wasn’t happening, Ferguson appears to have found some peace with walking away.
