Jake Locker Retires From the NFL And That Could Matter To The Angels
- Updated: March 10, 2015
Jake Locker‘s retirement from football could open the door to a baseball career (Image via @SportsCenter)
In a surprise move today, Jake Locker announced his retirement from the National Football League at age 26. His statement:
“I am retiring from football after much reflection and discussion with my family. I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to realize my childhood dream of playing in the NFL and for the lifelong relationships I developed because of that experience. Football has always played a pivotal role in my life and I love the game, but I no longer have the burning desire necessary to play the game for a living; to continue to do so would be unfair to the next organization with whom I would eventually sign. I realize this decision is surprising to many, but I know in my heart that it is the right decision and I look forward to spending more time with my family and pursuing other interests.”
That “pursuing other interests” part is what’s, well, interesting to the Los Angeles Angels, but let’s take a quick detour first.
Yes, Jake Locker is only 26 years old, and yes he’s played a mere 30 games in his NFL career, so retiring is a surprise for anyone who has as little mileage as he does in the sport. It’s even more surprising when you consider the contracts handed out to backup quarterbacks nowadays, and that Locker could’ve had a nice payday to back up a starter in the league for the next few years.
But Locker’s also had injury problems, and perhaps that factored into his decision to walk away. And, he was forthright in that statement; if his heart isn’t in the game, he’d be wasting the time and money of any organization, so he did the honorable thing in leaving. If he wants to do something else, spend time with his family, and enjoy a life after football while he’s still young, good for him.
We only get one chance at this life, and it appears Locker wants to move on in control of his own destiny, wherever that may be. The critical tweets (like this, or this, or this, or even this) about Locker’s decision are confusing; does being an NFL player suddenly not entitle Locker to make personal decisions that are best for him and his family if they go against having an on-field career? But, I digress.
Back to the “pursuing other interests” bit at the end of that quote, Jake Locker was a great baseball player. The Angels drafted him in the 40th round out of high school in 2006, and then again in the 10th round after his junior year of college at the University of Washington, despite the fact that Locker didn’t even play baseball at Washington.
The Angels eventually signed Locker in August of 2009 after his 10th round selection, knowing that he was going to concentrate fully on football. The team felt so strongly about his ability on the diamond that they gave him $300,000 just to hold his rights for six years in case his football career didn’t pan out. And, as we stand today, Locker’s six-year rights end just five months from now.
Even when Locker signed with the Angels, he said at the time, “If things don’t happen to work out the way I hope they will [with football] I would still have an opportunity to play for a living,” regarding a potential second career in baseball. Wouldn’t that be something!
While Locker didn’t play baseball at Washington, he did play in a wood bat collegiate summer league in 2008 during his college football career. Those leagues are decent relative to the level and age, but obviously a far, far cry from professional baseball. And when you factor in the seven years it’s been since then, Locker is light years away from baseball success. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.
He’s obviously not going to hit the field at Angel Stadium any time soon (or, depending on where his heart is, maybe ever), but the Angels have every right and will no doubt pursue every avenue to find out if he’d like to play baseball moving forward, at least up until their rights end in August.
Remember, Russell Wilson played professional baseball in the Colorado Rockies’ organization in the midst of his college football career, and has recently flirted with the Texas Rangers. While that’s probably unlikely, crossovers do happen and players do go from one professional sport to another sometimes.
And for Jake Locker: whether or not it’s baseball he ends up deciding to pursue, here’s to finding happiness and enjoying the time after football with family.
Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things Los Angeles Angels and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, All the time!
Related Posts
About Bobby DeMuro
