Rams WR Puka Nacua discusses retirement: 'I want to retire at the age of 30'
"I know I want to retire at the age of 30," Nacua said in an appearance on the "Join the Lobby" podcast.
Nacua is 23 years old, which would put him on track to play about seven more seasons. It would also allow him to follow in the footsteps of his teammate Aaron Donald and head for an early retirement.
"I think of Aaron Donald – to go out at the top, I think it would be super cool," Nacua said.
NFL MOCK DRAFT 2025: Giants, Steelers take QBs in first round amid Aaron Rodgers saga
Nacua also noted his desire to retire early stems from his aspiration to have a big family. He said he wants to have at least "a starting five" – "I need five boys for sure," he said – after growing up as one of six siblings.
"I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them," Nacua said, referencing his future children.
Nacua acknowledged that injuries "are something you can't control" but communicated that retiring at 30 would at least mitigate some of the injury risk.
"Hopefully, the rest of the career can go healthy, but you have shoulder surgery, you have knee surgery, you have ankle. By the time my kids could be 18, I could be barely walking if you play the game and sustain all the injuries and stuff like that," Nacua said. "But I want to retire early."
NFL FREE AGENCY GRADES: Do Cowboys, 49ers, Falcons warrant getting an F?
What would Nacua do after retiring? The 23-year-old is planning to get into real estate and will explore that avenue before his NFL career ends.
Nacua set the NFL's all-time rookie receiving record in 2023 when he caught 105 passes for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns. He had 79 catches for 990 yards and three touchdowns across 11 games during the 2024 NFL season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rams WR Puka Nacua: 'I want to retire at the age of 30'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Browns predicted to trade Colorado legend Shedeur Sanders to heavyweight AFC Super Bowl contender
The Cleveland Browns still have a long way to go in determining who their starting quarterback will be for the rapidly approaching season. It feels like just yesterday the Eagles dismantled the Chiefs, preventing them from securing a third consecutive Super Bowl title. While there's no definitive path the Browns appear to be taking, speculation continues to swirl. Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick believes veteran Joe Flacco will get the starting nod to begin the season. Advertisement 'If I was a betting man, Joe Flacco is gonna go into the year as the starter,' Fitzpatrick said. 'He has history there, he has success there, and I think it's a great story. He's a guy that'll bring calm, he's the guy that's going to be able to get them off on the right foot,' Fitzpatrick said. 'As the season goes along, when you draft guys early, and when you have young exciting guys, they're excited for Gabriel, we could see him inserted into the lineup.' Many believe Gabriel will eventually get a shot at the starting role, but Shedeur Sanders likely won't. Former NFL wide receiver Cecil Shorts thinks the competition should be between the rookies. 'Let them battle it out, choose one and ride with them and see what they can do," Shorts said about the rookies. "And I'm not big on switching quarterbacks... I hate that. Let the rookie battle all 17 games; if he's healthy, battle all 17 games. Let him develop. Let him get better.' However, with Sanders not expected to get a serious opportunity to start, Dawg Pound Daily's Mark Sipos suggests a trade to the Buffalo Bills. Advertisement Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp 'Josh Allen is locked in as the starter, and Mitchell Trubisky is back as the veteran backup. But behind them, there's room for a developmental quarterback," Sipos said. "Sanders would be a low-risk, high-upside addition who could sit behind Allen, learn in a structured offense, and grow without pressure. Buffalo's staff could work on refining his timing and decision-making while giving him a stable environment to develop in the background,' Sipos wrote. This move could be highly beneficial for Sanders, putting him in a place he wouldn't need to worry about being cut. It also presents the opportunity to learn from one of the league's best and potentially win a Super Bowl in his first year.
Time Business News
an hour ago
- Time Business News
Xavier Watts Could Be the Steal of the Draft
The Atlanta Falcons' revamped leadership and offensive weapons have received much attention as they usher in a new era under head coach Raheem Morris. In the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Atlanta may have made a major steal by acquiring safety Xavier Watts quietly. As one of the most decorated defenders in recent college football history, the Notre Dame star is entering the NFL. Moreover, as a player who is both mentally prepared, physically refined, and versatile in the draft. Watts' story isn't simply one of talent; it's one of relentless development, elite football intelligence, and a preparation process that left nothing to chance. Watts excelled at Notre Dame with 33 consecutive starts, culminating his career with eye-catching numbers. 188 total tackles (117 solo) 13 interceptions (tied for 3rd-most in school history and the most since 1996) 273 interception return yards, 2 defensive touchdowns, and 18 passes defensed Multiple forced fumbles and fumble recoveries He won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the top defensive player in college football and unanimous All-America honors for his breakout 2023 season, which included seven interceptions. In 2024, he made his best 82 tackles of his career, along with six more interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and another pick-six. Watts' Irish career ended with him being a two-time consensus All-American, a Notre Dame team captain, and a key member of one of the country's most respected defenses. Watts trained with Augustine Ume-Ezeoke, the founder of AUE Performance, to prepare for the NFL jump, which is aimed at developing not only stronger athletes but also smarter ones. Ume-Ezeoke, who also worked closely with first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr., aided Watts in enhancing the exceptional qualities that made him a significant player at Notre Dame. 'College safeties can sometimes rely on raw athleticism, but in the NFL, a false step is the difference between a pass breakup and a touchdown,' said Ume-Ezeoke in an exclusive interview with RG. 'We layered speed and decision-making into his drills—motion shifts, sudden breaks, NFL route concepts. Every step had to be intentional.' Watts not only met the challenge, but he thrived in it. According to Ume-Ezeoke, Xavier Watts' mental toughness is what separates him from his physicality or instincts. 'I'd put him in uncomfortable situations—fatigued reps, surprise challenges. Verbal pressure—just to simulate the mental chaos of the league. He embraced it. His ability to stay composed and driven through it all is why I believe he'll have longevity in the NFL.' Watts was projected as a second-round talent by many analysts, but ended up on Day 2. With humility and hunger, he embraced the process instead of letting it derail him. 'He wasn't chasing the hype,' Ume-Ezeoke added. 'He was chasing growth.' Watts, a smart, adaptable, and ball-hawking defender. Joins Atlanta's defense as they seek to replace veteran safeties and address the need for playmakers. The Falcons can be flexible and reliable in the secondary thanks to his ability to play in multiple coverages, diagnose offenses pre-snap, and deliver in big moments. The culture Atlanta is attempting to cultivate is perfectly matched by Watts' reputation for film study, sideline leadership, and team-first mentality. His effect may not always be apparent on the stat sheet right away, but his presence will be felt. The NFL Draft is often filled with headlines that focus on quarterbacks and top-10 picks. But it's players like Xavier Watts, who was drafted in the third round, who often define a franchise's long-term success. In Watts, the Falcons didn't just get a safety. They have someone who sets the tone. One with top-tier production. One with a pro's mindset. A person who is ready to meet the moment and then another one. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A's Brent Rooker welcomed the chance to do double All-Star HR derby duty
ATLANTA — No one ever had jumped into the box to try to settle the All-Star Game with a Home Run Derby, so it was bizarrely fitting that A's DH Brent Rooker got the first shot Tuesday at Truist Park. 'It's interesting to do two different ones in two different days,' Rooker said after the National League's derby-decided win. ' I was way more nervous for this one.' One night before, Rooker was on the wrong end of two unfortunate events in the traditional pre-All-Star Game Home Run Derby. He was shorted two pitches in the first round when his ball bucket wasn't replenished after he took two warmup pitches, then he was knocked out of that round after an announced tie on longest ball hit with eventual winner Cal Raleigh. When the league went to decimal points to determine who advanced well after the fact, Rooker was short by less than an inch. Tuesday, Rooker got to take three swings and he hit two out. Can we extrapolate that had he gotten his full complement of baseballs Monday, there's a good chance he'd have moved on? More For You Giants ace Logan Webb makes good in his second All-Star Game appearance Is A's Brent Rooker, an early out in the Home Run Derby, on Giants' radar? 'Maybe those were the extra two,' Rooker said with a smile after Tuesday's tiebreaker round. 'They just counted tonight.' He'd never hit off Yankees coach Travis Chapman until about two minutes before the homer-off started, taking about eight swings off him in the cage. Rooker was in the middle of everything in the game, too. He belted a three-run homer off Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez, then was pinch-hit for late in the game. He was hanging out outside the clubhouse with his family before suddenly sprinting back inside — he had to get warmed up for a possible home-derby, the All-Star Game's version of penalty kicks. This was unprecedented. The plan was put in place three years ago, but hadn't been needed until the American League rallied for two runs in the ninth Tuesday, and Rooker was one of the few who knew what was going on. AL manager Aaron Boone told him the day before he needed to stick around after coming out of the game just for this eventuality. 'I said, 'Yeah, absolutely, sounds cool, sounds like a good time,'' Rooker said. On the National League side, there was a lot of confusion, according to Giants pitcher Robbie Ray, who like teammate Logan Webb stayed for the whole thing. Many of the starters had left the stadium by then, which is why the derby didn't feature Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge. Ray saw the 'L screen' used for batting practice being readied and thought: 'What is going on right now?' Then NL manager Dave Roberts said in the ninth, '' So, guys, you won't believe this: if the game ends in a tie right now, I pre-selected three guys for a home-run derby.' Nobody knew. We were like, 'Is this really how this is going to happen?' It was definitely wild.' Webb only knew the NL was out of pitchers and he said, jokingly, he'd considered volunteering to go back in for extra innings. (He pitched a scoreless third.) When Webb found out how it was being decided, what he really wanted to do, given his one career homer, was volunteer to hit in the derby, 'but I think Buster (Posey) would probably call somebody,' he said with a laugh. The NL, knowing they had Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso in their corner, figured they were in good shape. Schwarber was the only man to homer on all three of his swings, and that was the difference. He was named the MVP. 'I told him, 'You're just cool,'' Webb said. 'It seems like he's always there in the big moment.' Webb, joshingly, would like to lobby for this to decide all extra-inning games. 'I have got a group text with a couple other players around baseball, and they said that we should never play an extra-innings game again,' Webb said. 'We should always end games just like that.'
