Five players who retired in their prime: Could Aaron Rodgers join the list?

Sometimes players retire early on. The NFL can be fickle at times, especially with players putting their bodies through some definite physical torture that can cause them to think about the future of their careers post-football. That, and the rampant worry that CTE can occur early on.

There have been quite a good number of players who thought more of the physical toll of the game to stop while they were ahead. Aaron Rodgers could be the next to do so should he decide to retire instead of taking on another team next season.

Here are five players who decided to retire in their prime.

Which players decided to retire in their prime?

#5 - Terrell Davis

Terrell Davis is arguably one of the best running backs to ever play the game. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion by the time he decided to hang up his cleats. In his short seven-season pro career, he was the NFL MVP in 1998, NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1996 and 1998, NFL rushing yard leader in 1998, and two-time rushing TD leader in 1997 and 1998.

On December 27, 1998 @Terrell_Davis had a stellar finale vs Seattle (29-178 2-17-1).
He became the 4th player to surpass 2000 yards in a season (392-2008-1 25-217-2).
Terrell was #NFL MVP in 1998
#BroncosCountry
https://t.co/vClXgxE33f

This extensive resume saw Davis get drafted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, and he will go down as one of the best running backs in Denver Broncos history.

Instead of retiring too late, Davis chose to walk away from the game in 2001. He appeared in only 78 regular-season games and retired on his own terms before his severe knee injury in 1999 truly caused more sustained damage.

#4 - Jim Brown

Another legendary running back who retired at an early age was none other than Jim Brown. The Cleveland Browns running back shocked the NFL world when he decided to retire in 1965 to pursue an acting career. Jim Brown's 12,312 rushing yards were the most in league history until Walter Payton passed him in 1984.

Jim Brown vs the #Colts 1964 #NFL Championship https://t.co/HSQ7vbK7oi

Brown's rushing record lasted nearly 20 years. He was barely 29 years old when he decided to walk away from the game of football. He is widely considered to be the greatest running back of all time.