The recently-retired left tackle is keeping his options open when it comes to a potential return to the NFL.
If a leopard never changes its spots, might the same be said for a Bengal tiger and its stripes?
The concept may not be too far-fetched for former Los Angeles Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
The 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year retired in the offseason after 16 years in the NFL; five of which were spent with Los Angeles. Whitworth played an integral role in helping the Rams to victory in Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals — ironically having spent the first 11 seasons of his NFL career as a cornerstone of the Bengals offensive line.
Though the storyline for Whitworth’s exit may be fit for a Hollywood script, the 41-year-old may be ready to write another chapter.
The Bengals offensive line recently incurred a setback when starting right tackle La’el Collins suffered a season-ending ACL tear in their 22-18 win over the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. With a hole to fill at tackle, rumors have begun to swirl regarding the three-time All-Pro coming out of retirement to help his former club fill their void.
“I’ve said this since the day I retired, I’ll never say never,” Whitworth said on “The Season with Peter Schrager” podcast, via NFL.com. “There’s always a chance.”
The ‘chance’ seems to be a remote one, at best.
Not only would the Bengals and Whitworth need to agree on a deal which would lure him out of retirement , he would be doing so to play a position to which he is not accustomed. Though he began his career as a guard, the LSU product made his impact as a left tackle. Lastly, Cincinnati has given every indication of their full confidence in reserve tackle Hakeem Adeniji.
Whitworth has spent his first season in retirement working as an analyst for Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” broadcast. With the Thursday night slate set to conclude with a Week 17 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tennessee Titans, he is about to find himself with some free time. With the Rams having been eliminated from postseason contention, Cincinnati would be the only logical destination for Whitworth’s potential comeback.
Could the ‘eye of the tiger’ lead him back to the ‘thrill of the fight?’
Whitworth is apparently keeping the door ajar.
“I love adventures,” Whitworth said. “I love taking on chances. So, to me there’s always one. Obviously, there’s a lot of things that would go into it. I mean, I’m technically under contract still with the Rams, and I’d have to, I’d have to kick off the old, uh, dust a little bit and see if I could still move a little bit. But you know what, I’d, I’d never say no to the option, but, you know, I don’t know. It’d have to be a sit-down convo with, with [my wife] Melissa and the kids and say, ‘Hey, can we do this again or not?'”
As they say in Tinseltown … To Be Continued …
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL
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