iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Former star wide receiver Roddy White announced his retirement after 11 NFL seasons, all of which were spent playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
A first-round draft pick in 2005, White went on to make four Pro Bowls and record six straight 1,000 yard seasons. He retires as Atlanta’s all-time leader in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
White sat out the 2016 season, saying he turned down a contract offer from the Tennessee Titans. He told ESPN the only team he wanted to play for after being released by the Falcons was the New England Patriots.
He says: “I wanted to go down there and play for coach [Bill] Belichick. I think it was 2012, we practiced against them for like a whole a week. I learned a lot just practicing against those guys — how they conducted their business every day and how they just got ready for practice. Just evaluating their coaching staff and how they handled plays and how Tom Brady went out there and went through things … you wanted to be a part of that and just be in the building. So many people want to get there with New England. Not just me, but people around the league because they’ve got something special going on there.”
White told ESPN he is now “totally committed to this second phase of my life.”
He will reportedly coach wide receivers and tight ends at Johns Creek High School in the Atlanta suburbs.
While it is unclear if he’ll ever make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he says it would “mean a lot” to have his jersey retired by the Atlanta Falcons.
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