Donald Driver Retires From Football

Donald Driver, the Green Bay Packers all time leader in pass receptions and reception yards and one of the most popular players in franchise history, announced  that he will retire as a player after 14 seasons.  Driver will formally retire in the Lambeau Field atrium on February 6th.

Although he was still in great shape at age 37, it became obvious early on in the 2012 season that Driver’s time with the Packers was coming to an end.  Green Bay is extremely deep at wide receiver, but even when Gregg Jennings and Jordy Nelson each missed several games with injuries, Driver saw little action.  He had just eight catches for 77 yards and one touchdown.  He played on special teams about as much as he played wide receiver.  We were a bit mystified that the Packers signed Driver for this season and then hardly used him even with those injuries to the other players, but that’s what happened.  Some fans even started online petitions calling on the Packers to play Driver more, but those had the predictable result.  But it did show Driver that the fans appreciated all that he had done in his career. 

Driver also became known to non-football fans when he won the Season 14 Dancing with the Stars competition with partner Peta Murgatroyd.

Driver retires as the Packers’ all time leader in several categories, including most pass receptions (743) and most receiving yards (10,137).  He scored 61 receiving touchdowns, third best in Packer history.  Not bad for seventh round draft pick.  His numbers should get some serious consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Though he was more or less pushed aside as a player this season, the Packers should give some thought to offering Driver a front office or coaching position.  He has strong ties to the community; he’s active in several charitable causes and is a great ambassador for the team.