20 famous athletes who retired earlier than expected

Stephen Brashear/Getty

Andrew Luck surprised the NFL world by retiring at 29 years old.
Throughout sports history, there have been professional athletes who have retired earlier than expected, often times because of injuries.
Check out some examples of athletes who have called it quits relatively early.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Andrew Luck’s decision to retire caught the NFL world by surprise, but he’s hardly the first athlete to call it quits early.

In fact, Rob Gronkowski decided to retire at the same age as Luck, just a few months beforehand. More NFL players may follow their lead.

Throughout sports history, there have been surprising retirement announcements from players who figured to have plenty of years left in their career. Most of the time, injuries play a big part in their decision to hang up their jerseys.

Here are a few examples of professional athletes who ended their careers earlier than expected.

1. Andrew Luck

Eric Christian Smith/AP

Sport: Football

Age retired: 29

Years as a pro: 7

One thing to know: Luck was considered a generational quarterback prospect when he entered the NFL in 2012, but injuries and weak teams only allowed him to show off that talent occasionally. Luck played just 38 games from 2015-2018 because of injuries, and when he retired on Saturday, said he was mentally worn down from pain, rehab, and setbacks.

2. Rob Gronkowski

Kevin C. Cox/Getty

Sport: Football

Age retired: 29

Years as a pro: 9

One thing to know: Gronkowski might have gone down as the greatest tight end ever if not for injuries. Gronk dominated every time he was on the field, but various ailments kept him off it, as he only played 15 games or more four times in his career. After rumors of retirement persisted for over a year, Gronkowski followed through in the spring of 2019. However, some think he could still be lured out of retirement.

3. Doug Baldwin

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Sport: Football

Age retired: 30

Years as a pro: 8

One thing to know: Baldwin was Russell Wilson’s favorite target for several years, topping 1,000 yards twice, including a 14-touchdown season in 2015. Injuries added up throughout 2018, and despite finishing the year with over 600 yards and 5 touchdowns in 13 games, he called it quits in 2019.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider