Patrick Willis surprised a lot of people when he retired from the 49ers in 2015, two months after his 30th birthday. He says he has no second thoughts.
“For me, I felt like it was the perfect time -- my body, everything,” Willis told Matt Maiocco of NBCSports.com. “The stars aligned for me. I never set out to play this game for anyone else’s expectations or what they thought I should do and how I should do it. I believed in myself before anyone else saw it. I never put that in anybody else’s hands. So for me, it was the right time.”
Willis was a seven-time Pro Bowler but struggled through an injury-plagued final season in 2014. He said that rough season took away his passion to play.
But Willis still loves the game of football and has contributed to the online coaching service CoachTube. He’s now just able to stay involved in football at a much more relaxing pace.
