NFL careers rarely end with a proper goodbye. Plenty of players never receive a farewell tour or even announce their retirement. The phone simply stops ringing.
Three recognizable veterans remain available as training camps begin. None has officially retired, yet age, injuries and an unforgiving market have left each facing the possibility that his final NFL snap has already happened.
1. Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon is the easiest name to include because he reportedly believes his career is finished.
The former Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans running back missed the entire 2025 season with a foot and ankle problem. What initially appeared to be a manageable injury turned into something far more serious. He underwent surgery, never returned to practice and was eventually released by Houston.
KPRC 2 Sports reporter Aaron Wilson said Mixon has told former Cincinnati teammates that his career is over. Mixon hasn’t submitted retirement paperwork, and one source offered a little hope that he could return. Still, the expectation is that he won’t.
It’s a lousy way for his career to end. Mixon was still productive the last time anyone saw him play. He rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns for Houston in 2024, then added 309 yards and another touchdown as a receiver.
That version of Mixon would have a job. Nobody knows if that version still exists.
He recently turned 30, hasn’t played in more than a year and would need to convince a team that his foot can survive an NFL workload. Running backs already face a brutal market. Older running backs with serious medical questions face something closer to a locked door.
2. DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Hopkins says he hasn’t retired. Technically, he’s right.
He also just accepted a position as an assistant wide receivers coach at Georgia Tech. That’s not an official retirement announcement, but it isn’t exactly the usual preparation for Week 1.
Hopkins spent last season with Baltimore and caught 22 passes for 330 yards. Both were career lows. His days as a featured receiver are over, although he could still offer a contender a reliable target on third downs or near the goal line.
Apparently, no team has found that role compelling enough yet.
If Hopkins never plays again, there’s nothing left for him to prove. He has 1,006 receptions, 13,295 receiving yards and 85 touchdowns. He made five Pro Bowls and earned three first-team All-Pro selections.
Perhaps a contender calls during the season. Hopkins might even answer. For now, though, he has already stepped into his next football job.
3. Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill presents a different situation. He wants to return and has repeatedly said he will.
The question is whether his left leg will cooperate.
Hill dislocated his knee and tore multiple ligaments, including his ACL, last September. The injury was severe enough that doctors initially warned he might struggle to walk again. Nearly 10 months later, Hill admitted he still had “no power” in the leg.
He has posted footage of himself running and working out, which is encouraging. Playing receiver in the NFL requires considerably more than jogging through a controlled drill, however.
Hill’s speed wasn’t simply one useful part of his game. It was the feature that made everything else work. Defenders gave him extra room because they were terrified of being beaten deep. If some of that explosion is gone, so is the advantage that made him special.
Hill says the Cheetah will return. But he is 32, unsigned and recovering from an injury that threatened much more than his career.
Another comeback would be remarkable. It would also be a surprise.
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