The Los Angeles Rams are four seasons removed from their last Super Bowl victory. In order to reach that mountaintop in 2021, the Rams sacrificed much of their early-round draft capital to acquire proven players. Although that strategy led to success, it made finding blue-chip players more difficult.
That said, Los Angeles was still able to find talent in later rounds, including fourth-round pick Puka Nacua. In his first two seasons, Nacua has recorded 184 receptions on 266 targets for 2,476 yards and nine touchdowns. Given the torrid start to his career, few would expect the 23-year-old to already be planning his retirement. Yet, on Monday he revealed just that.
According to Rams Wire, Nacua appeared on the Join the Lobby podcast and revealed when he plans to retire. Nacua said, "I know I want to retire at the age of 30,” he said flatly. “I'm 23 right now; I'm going into Year 3 – it wouldn’t even be 10 years. It’d be maybe seven or eight"
Puka Nauca Reveals Surprising Retirement Plans
Nacua's declaration of when he plans to retire is surprising, to say the least. Many players don't put an age on when they will retire at this stage in their career. However, the reasons the 23-year-old provides for his desire to retire early make sense.
"But also, I want to have a big family. I want to have at least a starting five. I came from a big family so I need five boys, for sure. But also, like, I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them. The injuries are something you can’t control (as) part of the game, so you never know. "Puka Nacua
In two short years, Nacua has suffered four different injuries. While three of them didn't cause him to miss any time, the PCL sprain he suffered this season in Week 1 did. So, Nacua's worries about his health going forward are by all means warranted.
Furthermore, his desire to have a big family and be a part of their lives is admirable. That's not to say other athletes don't want to be a part of their family's lives; some just desire to play football longer because it was their first love.
Nonetheless, Nacua laying out his desired timeline for retirement puts pressure on Los Angeles to get back to with him. Luckily, it seems like they are set up to do that with their ascending defense and talent on offense.