Remember when Percy Harvin took the second half kickoff back 87 yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVIII? Remember when he missed nearly the entire season that year with a torn labrum in his hip? And then of course all the migraine headaches that have cost him games since his early days with the Minnesota Vikings?
Harvin’s career has been filled with explosive highlights and more than his fair share of pains. Unfortunately, that career may be over now due to a lingering hip injury that has been bothering him since preseason.
Harvin was a no go in the Buffalo Bills 34-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday, and he did not travel to London with the team in preparation for their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week.
“I’m not going to touch any of it,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “I’ll just leave it where it is right now.”
I guess Rex is tired of the whole situation. Despite his reports that Harvin missed for “personal reasons,” multiple sources including Buffalo News and FOXSports have confirmed that Harvin is talking with friends and family about the possibility of retirement.
Sure, Harvin had some locker room problems and attitude issues which resulting in his playing for four different teams over the last four seasons, but at the end of the day the Florida standout is one of the most explosive players in the league when he’s about to get out on the field.
Everyone remembers his standout years with the Vikings, where he originally made a name as one of the top kickoff returners in the game. With 3,184 yards and five return touchdowns in 54 games with the Vikings, Harvin was quite the fan favorite at one point.
Harvin’s 2015 campaign with the Bills has been less than impressive so far with only 19 receptions for 218 yards and one touchdown, but I imagine it’s hard to do great things out there with a messed up hip.
All I know is retiring early would cost Harvin about $4.5 million. He may be better off just sitting back with free medical care and a nice check coming in the mail.