With Cooper Kupp no longer in the picture, the Los Angeles Rams are officially Puka Nacua’s team now, from a receiver’s perspective at least.
Nacua’s rise to Matthew Stafford’s go-to target began late in his rookie season and carried into 2024, where he solidified himself as Sean McVay’s primary weapon in the passing game.
Now, with Davante Adams added to the mix, Nacua remains the No. 1 option – a role that could cement him as one of the league’s elite receivers.
Yet, despite his trajectory toward superstardom, Nacua already has an exit plan for his NFL career.
Appearing on the Join The Lobby podcast, the 23-year-old wideout revealed that he envisions calling it quits by age 30, well before many expect.
“I know I want to retire at the age of 30. I’m 23 right now, I’m going into Year 3 – it wouldn’t even be 10 years. It’d be maybe seven or eight. I think of Aaron Donald, to go out at the top, I think it would be super cool,” he said.
While Donald walked away at 32, Nacua’s reasoning extends beyond football.
“I want to have a big family. I want to have at least a starting five. I came from a big family so I need five boys, for sure. But also, like, I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them. The injuries are something you can’t control (as) part of the game, so you never know,” he continued.
Nacua acknowledged the physical toll football takes, citing injuries as a major factor in his decision.
“Hopefully, the rest of the career can go healthy, but you have shoulder surgery, you have knee surgery, you have ankle. By the time my kids could be 18, I could be barely walking if you play the game and sustain all the injuries and stuff like that, but I want to retire early.”
While many players dream of long careers, Nacua has already prioritized his health and family over longevity in the league.
Of course, plans can change – especially if he continues to dominate as the Rams’ top offensive weapon – but for now, Nacua seems set on a short-but-impactful career.
Beyond stepping into the spotlight as the Rams’ new WR1, Nacua is also embracing change off the field – switching his jersey number to 12 for the upcoming season.
Though the Rams’ offense may look different without Kupp, Nacua is ready to lead the next chapter in Los Angeles.
And if his timeline holds, he’s making sure to leave his mark before his early exit from the game.
On a side note, Nacua revealed who his favorite wide receiver of all-time is…
He went with a popular choice, especially among those who understand and appreciate everything that goes into playing the position at an elite level.
“Julio Jones, he’s my favorite,” Nacua said on the podcast. “The perfect mixture of size and speed, he could run every route at his size, he kind of rotated between playing X and Z but something about it was like man that should be the prototype for every wide receiver, if you want to have a wide receiver body, it should look like Julio Jones.”
Getting back to Nacua’s bombshell revelation… What are your thoughts on his early retirement plans?
Of course, anything can happen. Having said that, do you think he’ll end up sticking to his plan?
In the bigger picture, do you think this type of thinking could spread through the league and careers become shorter and shorter, especially with the type of money that’s now involved???
