Rashard Mendenhall hinted last month that he was wrestling with a decision to walk away from the NFL after spending last season with the Arizona Cardinals. Now it seems that the running back’s mind is made up.
Teams interested in potentially signing the impending free agent have been told that Mendenhall is indeed retiring, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday.
After averaging a paltry 3.2 yards per carry compared to backfield mate Andre Ellington’s 5.5, Mendenhall was facing an uphill battle to land a starting job and guaranteed money on the open market.
The No. 23 overall pick in a stacked running-back class from the 2008 NFL Draft, Mendenhall finishes his career with 4,236 rushing yards, 39 total touchdowns and a per-carry average of 3.9 yards.
Once viewed as a versatile, light-footed, hammer-dropping successor to Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh, Mendenall never bounced back from a 2011 ACL tear.
