Curtis Martin Retires as NFL’s No. 4 Career Rusher
With 14,101 rushing yards, Curtis Martin wound up fourth all-time among NFL running backs. (AI Wire photo)
New York Jets running back Curtis Martin, fourth on the NFL’s career rushing list, announced his retirement Thursday - 19 months after playing his final game.
The five-time Pro Bowl selection acknowledged in January that he had probably played his last game because of a bone-on-bone right knee injury suffered during the 2005 season. Martin made the long-anticipated decision official - after months of rehabbing and deliberating - a day before the Jets begin training camp practices.
“I don’t see this as a sad time,” Martin said at a small, 45-minute news conference at the team’s Manhattan offices, one of several stops on a whirlwind media tour. “Someone was just asking me if there’s any moment in particular that sticks out as the best moment of my career, and I told them, ‘Right now.”‘
Martin finished with 14,101 yards rushing in 11 active seasons, ranking behind only Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269). His 3,518 carries are third on the NFL’s career list, and his 90 rushing touchdowns rank him tied for 12th with Eric Dickerson. Martin was also a versatile offensive weapon throughout his career, catching 484 passes for 3,329 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“I’ve seen myself have one focus and maintained that focus, and at the end of the day, things turned out better than what I had even intended from the beginning,” Martin said.
The Jets will honor Martin in a special ceremony before the beginning of the regular season. There is also growing sentiment that the team should retire Martin’s No. 28 jersey.
“I think that would be great,” Martin said with a big smile. “If that were to happen, I would like that.”
Without Martin, the Jets will look to newly acquired Thomas Jones, as well as incumbents Leon Washington and Cedric Houston to carry the load in the backfield. The combination hasn’t convinced NFL bettors - the Jets are 45/1 to lead the league in rushing this season. The Jets hold Super Bowl odds of 35/1.
In other NFL training camp news on Thursday:
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Simeon Rice, one of the game’s most prolific pass rushers. The 12th-year pro, whose 121 career sacks rank second among active players behind Michael Strahan, was let go only hours after the team signed his replacement - first-round draft pick Gaines Adams, who will receive a six-year, $46-million contract. General manager Bruce Allen said Rice, who missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, failed a physical when he reported to camp earlier in the day. Rice was scheduled to earn $7.25 million in the final season of a five-year, $41-million contract extension he signed after helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl in 2002.
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