Photo by The Washington Post.
London Fletcher, the undrafted linebacker out of tiny John Carroll University, said he likely will retire after 16 NFL seasons that could land him in the Hall of Fame.
Fletcher said at Redskins Park he is ”99 percent certain” he will quit after the remaining two games. He said he must have one more conversation with his wife to make the decision final.
“I felt like I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in the National Football League,” Fletcher said.
He said he wanted to have a chance to say goodbye to the fans against Dallas in the season’s finale.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins told The Washington Post, “We would love to have him walk off that field the last time, if it will be the last time, with a victory.”
He accepts that he will not leave the game as fellow linebacker Ray Lewis did with Baltimore last season, with a Super Bowl championship.
“I’m not 28,” he said. “I’m 38. I understand that.”
Fletcher has played in 254 consecutive games, the most of any active player. He holds the league record for consecutive starts by a linebacker with 214.
That is the greatest “part of my legacy” Fletcher said.
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said he “really didn’t know” if Fletcher would walk away after this season. Shanahan said, “I’ve never been around a guy like London who prepares for every game like it’s the Super Bowl.”
