Former LA Rams DB Donte Deayon retires

Even as the LA Rams search for ways to improve the defense and add quality depth to the Rams roster at secondary, the future is an enigma for players too. Too often, NFL fans see the team with blinders, and do not always realize what the NFL career means to players who have dedicated themselves to the chance of playing in the Super Bowl, or even starring in a regular season game.

Even as the LA Rams seemed to need veteran depth for the secondary in 2022, I was puzzled at the fact that the team failed to reach out to former defensive back Donte Deayon. After all, he was a contributor to the LA Rams Super Bowl-winning season. While he may not have been the show-stopper of the defense, he played well enough to warrant another year of NFL play.

But isn't that the way it goes sometimes? It's a feast or famine world in the NFL. The glory of competing in professional football attracts millions of fans to cheer and support young players. But who is there to cheer for the guy at the end of that long and taxing career.

Today, the NFL is witnessing the retirement of another great one. Defensive back Donte Deayon sat out 2022, not by choice, but by a lack of NFL interest. Today, he has made the decision to retire from the NFL. He has a Super Bowl ring, and a lifetime of memories to carry him into the next chapter of his career. I, for one, wish him the best.

It was DB Donte Deayon who provided comic relief in 2020 when the LA Rams were coming back from their disappointing 2019 season. While it was entertaining, it was vital for fans to see that side of the LA Rams players, and their camaraderie, which allowed fans to take heart in a closely-knit Rams roster that was determined to compete to the best of their ability in that 2020 NFL season.

While the LA Rams nor the LA Chargers saw enough value in signing Donte Deayon to a contract in 2022, despite the appearance of having done so might have benefitted either team, I cannot help but feel a little loss in the NFL as Donte Deayon's plans to retire.

Hey, each and every NFL player eventually submits retirement papers to the NFL office. And on this occasion, it's simply Donte Deayon's turn. It's not a sad time. Rather like any retirement announcement, it's time to celebrate Donte Deayon's NFL career and well wish him for the next chapter in his career. It's not the fact that Donte Deayon has chosen to retire that is the troubling part of my mind. It's the fact that he may have had more years of competitive NFL play left, but could get no takers to give him one more chance to play.