Terron Armstead’s recent retirement was a sadly straightforward decision for the former All-Pro.
‘I literally couldn’t walk,’ Armstead told Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on the Nightcap podcast.
Still just 33, Armstead played 72 percent of the snaps at left tackle for the Miami Dolphins last season before announcing his sudden retirement in April.
He had been among the best left tackles in football with the Dolphins and, prior to that, the New Orleans Saints. But a 12-year career, while short for nearly any other line of work, is relatively long when it comes to the NFL.
As a result, Armstead barely practiced in 2024 and was instead prescribed pain killers with the aim of getting him ready to play each and every week.
Now entering his mid-30s, Armstead explained he was no longer willing to put his body through that routine.
Terron Armstead’s recent retirement wasn’t a terribly difficult decision for the former All-Pro
‘I’ve been dealing with a knee [issue] since my third year in the league,’ Armstead said. ‘I didn’t see a practice field at all, and not because I didn’t want to or the Dolphins just wanted me to rest. I literally couldn’t walk.
‘After a game on Sunday, I wouldn’t be able to walk on my own, under my own power, until Wednesday, Thursday. So I was only able to play under the pain meds. I couldn’t put any pressure on my knee, so it was like, I can’t keep doing that to myself.’
Dolphins are in the midst of a difficult offseason as 23-year-old Patrick Paul is being counted upon to replace the veteran Armstead at left tackle.
Furthermore, wide receiver Tyreek Hill ended the regular season by removing himself from the season finale against the New York Jets, but now claims he wants to stay in Miami.
‘I’ve got to prove myself,’ Hill told reporters last month at organized team activities. ‘This OTAs, training camp, I got to prove myself. I’ve got to show up different. The mindset´s got to be different.’
Then there is cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is sitting out of this week’s mandatory minicamp in order to force a trade out of Miami.
The 30-year-old Ramsey signed a three-year extension in September. He is guaranteed $25.1 million in 2025, $4 million of which the Dolphins have already paid him as part of a signing bonus.
He earned his seventh Pro Bowl nod last season.
