New York Giants Offensive Lineman Zach Fulton retired from the NFL on Thursday, the third Giants player to retire in the span of a week.
Fulton’s retirement followed those of fellow Offensive Lineman Joe Looney and Linebacker Todd Davis. Tight End Kelvin Benjamin also retired after being cut by the team last week. Giants Head Coach Joe Judge expressed his disappointment, but expressed his respect for the players’ decisions.
Giants camp has been known to be especially tough. Practice includes running laps for mental mistakes, a punishment Looney received last Monday and Tuesday. A massive brawl broke out during practice on Tuesday which resulted in the entire team doing wind sprints as punishment. Judge, however, noted that the retirements of Looney, Davis and Fulton were personal and family-related. (RELATED: Video Released Of The Hit That Sparked Massive New York Giants Brawl)
“These are tough decisions on guys. As you get into vets later in their career at the start of training camp, it’s not uncommon for this to happen,” Judge said. “Now you don’t want it to happen, but you have to respect the decision that each person makes for their family.”
Giants are going to run out of gold watches. Another vet has retired. This time it’s OL Zach Fulton, who informed the team of his decision last night. Fulton joins Todd Davis, Joe Looney and Kelvin Benjamin as guys who have hung ‘em up so far this training camp.
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) August 6, 2021
Judge told reporters that he looked forward to coaching them, and that the team “left the door open for both guys based on what may open up in the future.”
Fulton played the last three seasons with the Houston Texans, starting 44 games. He signed a 1-year, $1.2 million deal with New York this offseason.
Looney played nine years in the NFL, including five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 104 games, with 42 starts. His agent told NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo that Looney retired because he could not get his body to do the things he needed to do.
Davis was an undrafted free agent who bounced around the league before being signed by the Denver Broncos in 2014. He was part of the Broncos’ Super Bowl run in 2015. He played stints with New Orleans and Minnesota before signing with the Giants. He told 9News that he planned to move back to Denver and take up real estate.
The Las Vegas Raiders are in the midst of a similar exodus. As previously reported by the Daily Caller, three players, a coach, and two upper-level executives have resigned or retired since July.