LOS ANGELES — Eric Weddle seemed perfectly content with his decision to retire after the 2019 season, his 13-year career as an NFL safety giving way to a less stressed life filled with pickup basketball games, coaching his son's football team and shuttling his three daughters to and from basketball, volleyball and soccer practice.
The only time the Poway, Calif., father of four felt even a pang of regret in two years away from the game was on Sept. 13, 2020, when the Rams — the team he played his last year for in 2019 — beat the Dallas Cowboys, 20-17, in the season opener.
"When I saw everyone hugging up after that huge win, that was the only moment over the last year and a half that I was like, 'Man, I wish I was there,' " Weddle said. "The raw emotion, the excitement, the grind, everything that goes into getting a win … you just can't replicate that outside of football."
