Kerry Collins Retires

Let's all hope and pray that this doesn't turn into another Brett Favre situation, but Kerry Collins has decided to change his mind. After telling the Tennessee Titans organization back in January that he was coming back for the 2011 season, Collins has decided to retire today.

Collins was the 5th overall pick in the 1995 Draft, which went down as the 1st draft pick in the history of the Carolina Panthers. He was an All-American quarterback out of Penn State that led a Nittany Lion offense which led the nation in scoring and total offense in 1994.

In a statement released by Athletes First, the agency that represents him, Collins said the following:

After 16 fulfilling years of playing quarterback in the NFL, I am officially announcing my retirement from professional football. The past several months have brought much introspection, and I have decided that while my desire to compete on Sundays is still and always will be there, my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position.

Collins battled alcoholism during the early part of his NFL career, which led to him falling out of favor with the Panthers coaching staff. He would finish the 1998 season with the Saints, before joining the New York Giants in 1999 and starting for them in Super Bowl XXXV against the Ravens.

After 5 seasons, the Giants released Collins in 2004 following the signing of Kurt Warner and drafting a quarterback out of Ole Miss named Eli Manning. The 2-time Pro Bowler would spend 2 seasons in Oakland, before spending the final 5 years of his career with the Titans as the apparent "mentor" for Vince Young (look how well that worked out for Tennessee).

Collins walks away from the game as 9th all-time in completions and pass attempts, as well as 11th all-time with 40,441 passing yards. His retirement now leaves the Titans with only 2 quarterbacks on their depth chart: Rusty Smith and rookie Jake Locker.