Former Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin to retire after 10 seasons

Former Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin told ESPN this week that he intends to retire from the NFL after 10 seasons of play with the Texans and Lions.

“Football was never who I was as a person,” Quin told ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. “It was always what I had done. I wanted to use football as a stepping stone into the rest of my life and not let football be my life. I always only wanted to play 10 years. Said if I was able to walk off the field after the last game in Year 10, it would be really hard for me to walk back on. I’m young, I’m healthy and I got a lot of life to live. So I’m walking away from the game of football.”

The Lions released Quin back in February, choosing to go in a different direction in their defensive backfield—mainly: cheaper and younger. They have now drafted a safety in the third round in back-to-back years.

Quin first joined the Lions in 2013, signing a big five-year contract. Almost immediately, Quin assumed a leadership role and became a playmaker in Detroit’s secondary. In 2014, he led the entire NFL with seven interceptions, leading to his first (and only) Pro Bowl appearance and being named second-team All Pro.

Since then, we’ve heard from defensive back after defensive back talk about just how valuable of a resource Quin has been as a locker room presence. Quandre Diggs, Darius Slay, and Tracy Walker are just a few of the names that have been impacted by Quin’s presence.

Quin will step away from the game with a total of 85 passes defended, 24 interceptions and a couple touchdowns to his name. Better yet, he can accurately claim he left the game better than he entered it.

Have a happy retirement, Glover.

UPDATE: Lions general manager Bob Quinn offered the following statement on Quin’s retirement: