Rams' Andrew Whitworth 'leaning towards' retiring

Andrew Whitworth said earlier this month that it would be "unreal" to win a Super Bowl and ride off into the sunset, retiring as the NFL's oldest active player. He and the Rams took care of the first half of that -- beating the Bengals 23-20 -- and now it looks like the second half may be coming true too.

Whitworth said Wednesday that he has not yet reached a decision on his potential retirement, but that based on where he's currently at, he's closer to walking away than coming back.

"I definitely think, I'm definitely leaning towards probably being done," Whitworth said on NFL Total Access. "I think that that's probably best for me at this time in my career. There's obviously days I'm waking up right now that I don't know if I want to do that. It's battling that a little bit. 

"I'll come to a conclusion here soon to give the Rams a chance to make the moves they need to one way or another. But man, what an awesome ride it's been if this is the end."

As Whitworth mentioned, it will be beneficial to the Rams for him to decide on his future before March 16, when the new league year begins. His salary will be cleared from the Rams' books and allow them maximum flexibility if he retires before the start of the new year.

At 40 years of age, Whitworth is currently the oldest active player in the NFL after Tom Brady retired earlier this year. Whitworth also became the oldest player to start a game at left tackle and the oldest offensive lineman to win a Super Bowl this season.

Whitworth has been with the Rams since the 2017 season. He played the first 11 years of his career with the Bengals after they selected him in the second round of the 2006 draft out of LSU.