© Kirby Lee | 2020 Jan 28
Joe Staley’s final news conference as a member of the 49ers was about as bittersweet as it gets.
One of the greatest offensive linemen in 49ers history reflected on his decorated 13-year career with the organization Tuesday afternoon, one that Staley reiterated is ending before he would’ve liked.
“It’s a happy and sad day,” Staley said. “It was very mixed emotions throughout this whole entire thing because obviously I did not want to quit playing football.
“I still have a huge love for it, it’s going to be a weird transition going into retirement. It wasn’t a thing where I knew it was my last year, ‘I’m gonna be done,’ but it was just the right decision for me.”
As alluded to in his retirement letter last weekend, Staley’s injury-filled 2019 season, which included a previously undisclosed neck issue, forced him into calling it quits. Staley was relegated to just seven games last season, a career low.
For the first time, the six-time Pro Bowler broke down the sequence of events.
“Last year should’ve been the pinnacle of my career. We had an absolutely unbelievable team from the culture, to the coaching staff, to the players, and it was that the whole entire year. But for me personally, it was really, really difficult because of the injuries.
“I had the broken leg which was kind of a weird rehab for that, it wasn’t very straightforward. I had a lot of complication coming back from that. Came back, broke the finger, had to have the surgery on that.
“I’ve had kind of neck stuff that’s been going on a little bit, and it just got worse and worse and worse as the season went along. Kind of like the last two or three games it got progressively worse. In the playoffs it was really bad, and it kind of culminated with the Super Bowl being the worst.
“I got a lot of doctor opinions and kind of went through that whole process. Once the season was done I weighed a lot of different decisions, opinions, options, took it all in and kind of made the decision based on what my life looks like going forward, it was the right time I guess, if there is a right time to step away.”
Staley kept in contact with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan throughout the offseason, knowing that the NFL Draft would be decision time, not wanting to “screw over” the organization. That’s when Staley told Shanahan he was done.
“Football is what I’ve known and what I’ve loved since I was a little kid,” Staley said. “I think right now because it’s the offseason it’s going to be easier because no one is playing football, but once it gets closer to the season it’s going to be ‘alright I should be going to training camp right now, I should be getting ready for the football season.’
“I think it’ll hit me a little bit harder.”