Set to enter the prognosticating world of NFL Sunday analysis, Devin McCourty doesn't have much faith in his former employers, the New England Patriots.
McCourty will still be involved in NFL settings, albeit in media with CBS rather than an on-field role. His advanced age aside (set to turn 36 next month), McCourty proved more than worthy of a 14th NFL season after he produced 71 tackles, eight pass breakups, and four interceptions last year.
The defender's reasons for departure, however, prove sobering for both himself and any New Englander excited about the upcoming 2023 campaign. For the latter group, McCourty perhaps killed their optimism by remarking that a 14th campaign would have little chance of ending with a Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist.
"It turned out to be pretty simple for me: I didn’t feel like I had the same passion I had previously," McCourty said in a retirement retrospective alongside his brother Jason for Pro Football Network. "I think, especially as you get older, you start to only play to win a Super Bowl. I was like, if I go back, I don’t think we’ll go win a Super Bowl.
"So as I started to sit there and be like, all right, ‘what did we really set myself up for? We were 8-9 last year? Am I going to go to another team? Is it worth it for six months?’"
Obviously, McCourty opted to shut down his pro career, ending 13 years of NFL service spent entirely with the Patriots. Granted, McCourty is far from the only one who's pessimistic about the Patriots' immediate future. But to hear it come from one of the franchise's more renowned, longest-lasting, championship-winning names is undoubtedly a tough review.
Personal reasons also played a role in McCourty stepping away. A workout with fellow Foxborough mainstay Matthew Slater, who is set to return for a 16th season with the Patriots, convinced McCourty he wasn't ready to keep up with him on both a physical and mental level, as did a shoulder injury that required surgery.
“A good friend of mine, Matt Slater, is in there working out as I’m rehabbing so I’m like, ‘alright,’” McCourty declared. "I forgot what day it was, I was like, ‘These next two days, I’m going to go in here and workout.’ I’m in there working out and like, I’m now thinking, ‘I’m doing kind of an old man workout.’ I’m watching him, and I’m seeing a difference between the way he’s working out and the way I’m working now.
“I kind of knew from right there it was probably it. I then went on vacation and just being with my family, I knew I didn’t want to do that anymore. I knew some of the things I wanted to pursue, going on TV, doing those things, felt more important than going and playing football at the time.”
McCourty announced his retirement in March, opting to join Jason in the new family business of broadcasting. Time will tell just how many Patriots games he gets to call, but don't expect McCourty to put New England in the win column.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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