NFL
Michael Strahan Doesn’t Quite Regret Retiring From Pro Football, But He Thinks His Career Should Have Ended Differently
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished01 Jan 2021
While New York City has had plenty of sports heroes over the year, Michael Strahan may have been one of the most popular to ever play in (or technically adjacent to) the Big Apple. During his time with the New York Giants, the defensive end became a fixture on the field; in retirement, he’s remained in the public eye as a TV host.
Although things have worked out for Michael Strahan since he left pro football behind, the former New York Giant has wondered what would have happened if he didn’t call it a career after the 2007 campaign. In his mind, he believes he could have played at least one more season of professional football before riding off into the sunset.
Michael Strahan had a successful NFL career before going out on his own terms
Not every professional athlete gets to go out on their own terms. Michael Strahan, however, did just that at the end of a successful NFL career.
After spending his formative years in Germany, Strahan moved to Texas for his senior year of high school. During that single season on the gridiron, he showed enough talent to earn a scholarship to Texas Southern University.
In college, Strahan took his game to the next level and started terrorizing opposing quarterbacks with incredible ease. When the 1993 NFL draft, joining the New York Giants as a second-round pick.
Strahan started out slowly but eventually established himself as a premier pass rusher with the Giants. He spent 15 seasons in the NFL, piling up 854 total tackles and 141.5 sacks before deciding that he had enough; after helping to defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Strahan retired as a champion in June 2008.
Potentially playing one more season?
RELATED: Is Michael Strahan on the New York Giants’ Mount Rushmore?
While retiring is never easy, Michael Strahan picked the perfect way to go out. He had played 15 seasons of professional football and was able to retire with his health relatively intact and an NFL title under his belt.
Despite that seeming perfect set of circumstances, Strahan has still questioned his decision to retire when he did. While he won’t use the word regret, the defensive end does believe that he should have played another year of professional football.
“It’s reassuring to hear a man who’s accomplished as much as Strahan talk about how doubt is only natural when we’re faced with life-changing decisions,” Dean Stattmann wrote in Men’s Journal. “We will always wonder what would have happened had we gone a certain way, he tells me.”
“I’m always curious, and sometimes, I’m not going to say regret, but definitely think maybe I should have [played another season],” Strahan explained. “Maybe I should have.”
Everything has worked out for Michael Strahan, though
RELATED: Michael Strahan Has a Crucial Piece of Advice for Athletes Entering the Business World
On a human level, it’s easy to understand Michael Strahan’s feelings; when you’ve done something for your entire life, it’s tough to quit cold turkey. With that being said, though, everything has worked out well for the New York Giants great.
While his playing success was nothing to sneeze at, Strahan has become an even bigger star in retirement. He found a home in the NFL media, analyzing the game that made him famous; he also became a fixture on daytime TV, co-hosting Live!, Good Morning America, and what was initially known as GMA Day.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Michael Strahan has accumulated a fortune estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $65 million. Between that, his NFL success, and his television career, it’s tough to have too many regrets about any one decision.
