Jared Veldheer Explains Why He Quickly Ditched Patriots for Retirement

We can probably count on one hand how many times players have snubbed the New England Patriots. What sane athlete wouldn't want to be a member of the dynasty they have formulated over the last two decades?

Well, offensive tackle Jared Veldheer was Foxborough bound in the beginning of May, with terms of a contract all set and stone, before the 32-year-old abruptly opted for an early retirement. Fast forward nearly two months later, however, and Veldheer has finally given us answers as to why he gave Bill Belichick and Co. the cold shoulder.

And we completely sympathize with his touching assessment.

"It was easy because of knowing what my body was telling me, but it was hard because I was leaving a very good situation being with the Patriots," he said during a Tuesday interview. "Belichick understood, and everyone in the NFL building understands that the sport can do a number on your body and different guys have different timelines on how long they can make it through."

Per Veldheer, the poor status of his hips, particularly the left one, was at the core of his decision to call it quits. Even offseason stem cell therapy wasn't enough to help the lingering ailment.

"When March rolled around I thought I could give it a go, but once I went out there to do actual football stuff, the hip felt exactly how it did at the end of the season. There was just no way I was going to put my body through that. I couldn't conceive even trying to make my body do that," Jared continued.

Good on you, bud.

Anybody in Foxborough holding grudges over Veldheer's formerly shocking settlement should immediately retract them.

He admirably elected to give it another go-round in 2019 but his body simply wasn't up for the challenge.