Since retiring from the NFL in March, Andrew Whitworth’s name has popped up a few times as someone fans could see returning to the field if a team called. He previously said “never say never” when asked about coming out of retirement, and recently got plenty of tweets and texts about potentially replacing the injured Tyron Smith in Dallas.
He hadn’t completely shot down the possibility of unretiring and returning to the field, but he sure doesn’t sound like someone who wants to do that. In an interview with Rams Wire, Whitworth answered the question of whether he has an itch to get back out there and return to playing.
“I would say probably not,” he said. “I go out there and it’s fun to think you’d want to do that, but right now if I had to think about stopping a Nick Bosa bull rush, that makes me want to jump out of my desk. I have no interest in doing that, so I would love to talk about how good Nick Bosa plays. I do not want to have to figure out how to stop it right now anymore. I think I’ve gotten out of that mindset a little bit. Still a competitor, I’d still love to think I could, but I don’t think I can right now.”
Of course, Whitworth isn’t just sitting home binge-watching Netflix. He’s working, and working hard. In his new role with Amazon as a studio analyst on Thursday Night Football, Whitworth is loving the opportunity to break down the game he played for 20-plus years.
“It’s really not that much different in the sense that you’re using different skills, but just being yourself, being who you are, being passionate about what you’re passionate about and letting that show, I think it’s some of the things I’m trying to focus on,” Whitworth said. “So far, it’s been great. I can’t wait to get more involved and it looks like something I could do for a really long time and I really enjoy it.”
As fun as it would be to see Whitworth come out of retirement and help the Rams (or another team) in one way or another, it doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards for the 40-year-old former left tackle. He’s more than content in his new role with Amazon.
