Jared Veldheer explains why he retired after just one practice
Jared Veldheer was signed to potentially protect Tom Brady’s blindside as the Patriots’ new left tackle, and yet he retired after just one OTA practice.
Veteran left tackle Jared Veldheer seemed like a smart signing by the New England Patriots on May 13.
After all, the team had just seen their starting left tackle from 2018, Trent Brown, depart in free agency to become the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league with the Oakland Raiders. Their original plan for Tom Brady’s blindside protector – first-round pick Isaiah Wynn – had been lost for the entire season with an Achilles tear, and his recovery process was (and still is) somewhat of a murky subject.
Enter Veldheer, a 31-year-old with nine solid years of experience playing one of the most important positions in the entire NFL.
And yet, a little more than a week later, the Patriots found themselves once again at ground-zero. Veldheer was reportedly retiring from the league altogether – after just one day of practice at New England’s OTAs – and the team was left to ponder their options at left tackle.
What caused such a sudden change of heart for Veldheer? Was it Bill Belichick’s intense coaching methods? The pressure of having to protect arguably the greatest quarterback of all time? Or did something about the Patriots just rub Veldheer the wrong way?
According to Veldheer himself, who recently did an interview with MichiganLive Media Group on Tuesday, his decision to walk away had nothing to do with Belichick, Brady, or the Patriots… it had everything to do with himself.
“It was (an) easy (decision) because of knowing what my body was telling me, but it was hard because I was leaving a very good situation being with the Patriots,” Veldheer said in the interview. “(Belichick) understood, and everyone in the NFL building understands that the sport can do a number on your body… and different guys have different timelines on how long they can make it through.”
One need look no further than another Patriot, Rob Gronkowski, as a perfect example of this line of thinking. Gronk retired after nine seasons in the NFL himself this past March, and it’s rumored that back problems and fear of further injury had a lot to do with his reasons why.
“My hips, particularly my left one, was in pretty bad shape (after the season),” Veldheer elaborated. “But I got some stem cell therapy, some other treatments and started to feel better and I thought the things I was doing were going to help. When March rolled around I thought I could give it a go, but once I went out there to do actual football stuff, the hip felt exactly how it did at the end of the season. There was just no way I was going to put my body through that. I couldn’t conceive even trying to make my body do that.”
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As painful as it must be for Patriots fans to see another quality starting left tackle option walk away from the squad, it sounds like Veldheer made his retirement decision for all the right reasons. Now everyone in the greater New England area is left holding their breath though that Isaiah Wynn will be ready for action come Week 1 of the new season.