MAY 24: Moreno himself took to Twitter today to say that he does plan to return to an NFL field in 2016. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Klis’ report below was incorrect, as the 9NEWS scribe specifically noted that Moreno might change his mind. Additionally, there’s no guarantee that any club will have interest in Moreno even if he does follow through with a comeback.
MAY 14: Running back Knowshon Moreno hasn’t handled an NFL carry since Week 5 of the 2014 season, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be returning to game action anytime soon. According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, Moreno is “80 percent” committed to retirement, but the veteran back is staying in shape in case he changes his mind.
After a solid 2013 campaign during which Moreno topped 1,000 yards rushing and scored 10 touchdowns for the Broncos, he garnered surprisingly little interest on the free agent market, ultimately signing a one-year, ~$3MM contract with the Dolphins. Moreno managed only 31 carries Miami before tearing his ACL, and was placed on injured reserve in October of 2014. Per Klis, Moreno took the 2015 season off in order to let his knees heal.
Moreno will be 29 years old when the 2016 season begins, so it’s hard to imagine that he’d generate much interest even if he were open to playing. There haven’t been any rumblings about Moreno in the past year, as he hasn’t been mentioned on PFR since March 2015. Regardless, if Moreno does decide to officially retire, the former first-round pick will have posted a largely successful career, rushing for more than 3,500 yards and scoring 36 times.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Loved him as a Georgia Bulldog, and it makes me sad that a really nice, talented, hardworking guy ended his career like that.