Joe Looney becomes the third NY Giants player to retire since training camp began, just five days after signing a one-year contract
Newly signed NY Giants offensive lineman Joe Looney abruptly decided to retire Wednesday.
In his first practice since signing with the NY Giants, Looney was sent on a pair of penalty laps, was part of head coach Joe Judge’s brutal conditioning session following a full-team fight Tuesday, and by Wednesday Looney ran right into retirement.
Quite the eventful week.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Looney decided to retire, just four days after signing as a free agent.
Looney, 30, followed former Dallas Cowboys head coach, turned NY Giants offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett to New York but his time with the Giants was short.
Yeah, his body had it, apparently. Just didn’t feel he had it in him anymore and has too much respect for the game and his OC.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 4, 2021
According to Garafolo, the penalty laps and fight didn’t factor into Looney’s decision, and judging by his initial comments to the media following his signing, Looney seems like a standup guy who wasn’t going to play if he wasn’t able to play at his best.
Looney joins former NY Giants tight end Kelvin Benjamin and linebacker Todd Davis, who have retired over the past two weeks following brief stints with the team.
In Looney’s absence, the NY Giants still might go shopping via free agency for veteran help along the interior of the offensive line, especially as guard Shane Lemieux continues to recover from an injury suffered last week.
Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com