Familiar faces that won't be seen in the NFL this year

As the rings of the Olympics fade for another two years, the shield rises from its seven-month slumber to delight sports fans across the country. The NFL will make its annual debut in two weeks.

You can squeal in delight if you want to.

NFL fans will be sitting down on their couches with hot wings and cold beverages expecting to see their favorite players. They’ll scan and squint at their TV, but they won’t see that number they are bearing on their own chest and back.

After a while, it’ll hit them that their favorite player is gone.

Amid all the player movement in free agency, what gets lost are all the players who have hung up the cleats for good. Players that have given their bodies to game in pursuit of fame, money and glory who have moved on to a new chapter in their lives.

Here are some of the familiar faces you won’t be seeing next year battling it out on the gridiron.

Peyton Manning

The sheriff has left the building. At 40 years old, Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset with a championship ring, and the mantle of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

This comes as no surprise. Throughout the 2015 campaign, Manning looked like he was on his last leg of his career.  His decline was marked with a severe lack of arm strength, and he even lost his starting job to Brock Osweiler at one point in the season.

Who to watch for instead: Only Gary Kubiak knows. The Denver Broncos are in the middle of a three-way quarterback battle. Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian and rookie Paxton Lynch are entrenched in a position battle where no one has really separated themselves. It’s going to be a rough Super Bowl defense for Denver.

Percy Harvin

Unlike Peyton Manning, this one was surprising. Percy Harvin was supposed to be a plug-and-play athlete that could hurt you from any position. The talent that he showed at Florida was supposed to carry over into the pros.

But like so many other stories in the NFL, the injury bug was too big to overcome.

After accumulating 3,212 total yards in this first three years, injuries to his shoulder, ankles and hips would keep him out of play for a significant amount of time. In seven seasons, he only played 73 games out of a possible 112.

Add in the scuffles he had with teammates and coaches, and you have a recipe for retirement at the age of 28.

Who to watch for instead: Harvin retired from the Buffalo Bills, so if you were expecting to see him at Ralph Wilson Stadium, look for Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods at the wide receiver position.

Calvin Johnson

There was a disturbance in the force when millions of fantasy football players screamed in terror as this news came down the pipeline.

By every metric, Calvin Johnson still had a lot of football left to play even after spending nine years in the league. He was coming off a 1,200-yeard season with 88 catches, but he felt his body was falling apart. It wasn’t the lack of playoff games that got to him, but finger, ankle and knee injuries that took away his desire to play.

While he is at peace with his decision, many Detroit Lions fans had to deal with another early departure of one of their superstars.

Calvin Johnson left the league with 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns.

Who to watch instead: There isn’t anyone on the Lions current roster that will be remotely as productive as Calvin Johnson, but Lions are hoping that Golden Tate will become the star they hoped he would. Marvin Jones will also be a guy to watch for the Lions moving forward.

Jared Allen

If you’re going to retire, you might as well do it with some flair. Not everyone will retire with a championship ring like Peyton Manning did, but Jared Allen made the best of it, by riding on a horse to let fans know he would end his NFL career after 12 productive years.

Allen sits at ninth in the all-time sack list with 136 quarterback takedowns. It was really no surprise that Allen did retire because of his advanced age of 34 as a defensive end. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t miss that signature mullet running around the field.

Who to watch instead: Kony Ealy has shown a lot of promise at the defensive end position, getting five sacks in 2015. He’ll have some more opportunities to improve with Allen out.

Charles Woodson

The man. The myth. The legend. Charles Woodson finally retired this past offseason in the silver and black of the Oakland Raiders.

Woodson will go down as one of the surest bets to get into the Hall of Fame because of his ability to play two positions at a high level. Woodson started as an elite cornerback, and then transitioned into a ball hawking safety that could also tackle.

Although he had been in the league for 18 years, not many people really questioned him about retirement because he kept playing football at a high level year after year. But alas, all good things come to an end.

Woodson ends his career with 65 interceptions.

Who to watch instead: Veteran free safety Reggie Nelson was signed by the Raiders after an eight-interception season in Cincinnati. Look for him to make an impact for Oakland in 2016.

Marshawn Lynch

Beast Mode is no more.

Seahawks fans will miss the punishing runs of the Cal product, but what NFL fans will really miss are Lynch’s antics. From his engaging media interviews to his love of Skittles, Lynch was a one of a kind athlete and entertainer.

After rushing for 1,306 yards in 2014, injuries slowed him down last year where he only played seven games during the season. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that his brutal running style was starting to catch up with him.

He leaves the NFL with 9,112 rushing yards and 74 touchdowns.

Who to watch instead: With Lynch hurt, Thomas Rawls stepped into the lead back position and did very well for the Seahawks before getting hurt himself. He gained 209 rushing yards against the 49ers in Week 10 all by himself. Look for him to improve on his 830 rushing yards last season.

Charles Tillman

Tillman decided that 2015 was going to be final year after three consecutive season ending injuries. He tore his triceps in 2013, he re-injured those triceps the next year and tore his ACL last year with the Panthers before the playoffs.

Known for his signature punch, the man known as “Peanut” forced 44 fumbles from the cornerback position and intercepted the ball 38 times.

Who to watch instead: The cornerback position is going to be tricky for the Panthers this year, according to the latest depth chart, they have two rookie corners in James Bradberry and Daryl Worley in the top positions. For Carolina’s sake, fans are hoping they grow up quickly.

Heath Miller

It’s going to be really eerie to never hear “HEATH” chants every time a tight end catches a ball at Heintz Field.

Miller was a consistent receiver for Ben Roethlisberger when there was nothing down the field. Over his 11-year career, he caught 592 balls for 6,569 yards and won two Super Bowls with the Steelers.

Who to watch instead: 6’7" Jesse James is at the top of the depth chart now at Pittsburgh. They won’t ask him to be a 1,000 yard receiver, but they do need him to block for Le’Veon Bell and catch short balls.

D’Brickashaw Ferguson

Not only is the NFL losing one of its better offensive lineman, they are losing one of the best all-time names to ever play in the league.

Ferguson played ten seasons in the NFL and never missed a game. As an offensive lineman who is battling in trenches for most of the game, getting run into from behind from your running back and getting blasted in the knees from defensive players, that’s a pretty impressive feat.

He never did win a Super Bowl, but he was named to three Pro Bowl teams.

Who to watch instead: Although the Jets lost Ferguson, they got a very talented replacement in Ryan Clady, who they got for a 7^thround pick. Clady’s ability is never in question, but his health is; he had two season-ending injuries in 2013 and 2015.

Justin Tuck

The two-time Super Bowl Champion was a menace on the defensive line for 11 seasons before calling it quits. He is currently 32 years old.

Tuck actually contemplated retiring in 2012 after the Giants won their second Super Bowl. However, he kept going after his family convinced him to stay in the league for another couple of years before a torn pectoral muscle knocked him out for good.

The former Notre Dame player finishes his career with 66.5 sacks, 22 forced fumbles and one of the baddest facemasks ever in the NFL.

Who to watch instead: Tuck was a non-factor in the five games he played in last year, but Khalil Mack really took off for the Raiders, sacking the quarterback 15 times. Sliding into Tuck’s spot at the other defensive end spot will be Mario Edwards, Jr., who registered three forced fumbles and two sacks in the 14 games he played.