Redskins' Chris Samuels Likely Going To Officially Announce Retirement This Week

The Redskins have schedule a Thursday press conference to officially announce the retirement of longtime left tackle Chris Samuels.

The announcement has been expected for some time due to injuries suffered during the 2009 season.

Samuels consulted with many specialists, several of whom warned him about the possibility of becoming paralyzed if he attempted to prolong his career, people familiar with the situation said, but questions about his playing status lingered publicly because Samuels declined to officially announce he would not return for an 11th season with the Redskins.

Sameuls, 32, was the third overall pick by the Redskins in 2000.

As was more or less expected, Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels will officially announce his retirement, according to Jason Reid of the Washington Post.

Samuels went out in October with a neck injury and missed the rest of the Redskins season. Due to his stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spine, there is concern that repeated neck injuries could eventually lead to paralysis.

Samuels has been openly contemplating retirement since last fall, so the news that he will likely announce later this week that he is finished playing isn’t too surprising. Still, Samuels had hedged his bets a bit in the past few weeks, and had told reporters in January that there was a chance he would play next season depending on the feedback he got from his doctors.

Samuels was a six-time Pro Bowl selection for the Redskins. The former Outland Trophy winner was the third overall pick out of Alabama in 2000 and was the linchpin of the Redskins offensive line for the past decade. His retirement makes it even more pressing that the Redskins address their woeful offensive in the draft.

The Redskins announced Saturday afternoon that Chris Samuels has officially been placed on the IR, formally ending his season. From The Washington Times:

The Redskins announced a few minutes ago that left tackle Chris Samuels has been placed on injured reserve, officially ending his season.

Samuels sustained a neck injury early in the Carolina game three weeks ago and said eight days ago that he would wait 3-4 months before deciding whether he would retire.

Speaking of that decision, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that while no decision’s made, Samuels told Redskins owner Daniel Snyder that he “definitely wants to try” to return.

Earlier Friday, the Washington Post’s Jason Reid reported that the Redskins’ Chris Samuels, was planning to retire. However, it seems as though Samuels has not, in fact, made his decision yet.

Redskins Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels has decided to sit out the remainder of this season and most likely will retire because of a severe neck injury he suffered about two weeks ago, league sources said.

As The Player Hater’s Ball points out, this is quite different from Reid’s original post, which seems to have disappeared.

Here was the lede of the original entry (which is still showing up on Google):

Redskins Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels has decided to retire because of a severe neck injury he suffered about two weeks ago.

And the new one:

Redskins Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels has decided to sit out the remainder of this season and most likely will retire because of a severe neck injury he suffered about two weeks ago, league sources said.

I may be wrong (perhaps this is a technical error or something) and I hope so. But it appears as if Reid (or whomever) was trying to cover their ass by deleting the erroneous report and covering it up with a newer, more accurate one.

We don’t know what the full story is yet, but if Reid’s second post is the correct one, Samuels is sitting out the rest of the season and deciding his long-term plans in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Jason Reid of the Washington Post reports that, as had been rumored, Redskins Pro Bowl LT Chris Samuels will retire due to the neck injury he suffered during the team’s loss to the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago.

It is beginning to appear less and less likely that Chris Samuels's future will involve playing football.

He wrote in his blog on Monday that he was set to meet with a spine specialist Tuesday morning to discuss if he can play again this year.

There’s really not much to say. Fans are aggravated and I can’t blame them. Next up are the Eagles. I won’t be playing in this game either. 

Tuesday morning I’ll be meeting with the spine specialist about whether or not I can continue this season. At this point, my situation is more than just playing football...it is about my quality of life.

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as well as the team.

Heavy stuff. Today, ESPN's Adam Schefter gave more updates:

Washington OT Chris Samuels scheduled to visit neck specialist in LA this week. Visit will help determine if he can play again or retire.

Schefter later added: "Thinking is that Samuels will not play again this year and there are those that believe he will be retiring after this season."

There comes a time when every athlete must put his personal well-being ahead of any professional goals, and even the team. It seems that time has come for Samuels.

At the end of Jim Zorn’s sad press conference today, the head coach ruled Chris Samuels out for the Redskins’ Week 7 game next Monday against the Eagles. Zorn added that Samuels has been unable to meet with the specialist to review his test results.

Also no word on which Redskins QB — Jason Campbell or Todd Collins — will have the displeasure of working behind arguably the worst offensive line in football on MNF.

From Will Carrol, the internet's injury expert, comes this recent tweet in regard to Samuels' possible retirement:

To which Football Outsiders responded with:

And Carroll responded saying simply, "That's true..." A player that's made close to a hundred million dollars over the course of his career, Samuels certainly has luxuries that most NFL players must go without, and given the chronic nature of his spinal condition, it's not inconcievable that he could call it quits in the name of his health. Stay tuned.

Dan Steinberg from the DC Sports Bog makes the point that of all the 53 players on the roster, Chris Samuels is perhaps the one player that ’Skins could least afford to lose. From the Bog:

I don’t think I’m going out on much of a limb here, but I’d argue Samuels is the player the Redskins can least afford to be without, which makes him their most indispensable player.

Which got me thinking, what would a list of the Redskins’ 53 most valuable players, in order, look like? I gave up somewhere around 12, so I’ll just present my Top 5 here, and let you vote on the most valuable. Feel free to tell me what your 1-5 would look like, or even your 6-10, if it’s a slow day at work.

1) Chris Samuels. Mister Irrelevant noted before the season that Samuels missed four games last season, which included all three of Washington’s worst offensive performances of the season. With him out against the Panthers, the Skins managed just 198 yards, easily their lowest total of this season, and the lowest of Jim Zorn’s tenure. He’s an All-Pro player at one of the most important spots on the field. And the backups behind him are either unproven or unreliable. To me, this is pretty easy.

Indeed, losing Chris Samuels means the Redskins immediately go into code red mode with their blocking schemes—that means keeping in extra backs, eliminating deep drop-backs for Jason Campbell, and most importantly, keeping TE Chris Cooley in to block. As Cooley’s arguably their best offensive weapon, this is fairly crippling to the Redskins’ hopes of putting together big plays, as the receivers have so far proven ineffective.

We learned under Joe Gibbs, keeping 9 men in to block is no fun for anyone, and it’s even less so when the receivers running routes are either 5'9ish and old (Moss, Randle-El), or 6'3ish and terrible(Thomas, Kelly)—with that in mind, here’s to hoping that Samuels gets that second opinion and realizes he’ll be ready to go in Week 7. It’s not exactly realistic, but hey, what do Redskins fans have if not hope?

It's not just "physicians" that Samuels is meeting with next Tuesday -- it's a "spinal specialist," and the Pro-Bowl tackle plans to "discuss the severity of his neck injury and how it will affect the rest of his career," this according to Rich Campbell.

"I love playing for this organization," he said, "but when it comes down to it, you've definitely got to look at your health first." [...]

Considering that Samuels, 32, has suffered from spinal stenosis--a narrowing of the spinal canal--since high school, he will carefully weigh his options.

"I have to take it all into account," he said. "It was pretty serious. Any time you're dealing with your spine, you've got to be safe about it."

The team has already sent Samuels' MRI results to "several doctors to get multiple opinions." There is no set date for his return, but it looks like he'll be out at least for the Monday Night game against the Eagles on Oct. 26. Faced with the possibility of losing Samuels, coach Jim Zorn said, "Ugh. Don't put that on me." Spoken like a true leader of men.

Through it all, Samuels is staying optimistic: when asked if his season might be over, he responded, "I don't think so, no." In the meantime, he continues to help out from the sidelines, preparing his backup, Stephon Heyer, as much as possible. "I definitely want to be there to help those guys out. I'm in that group, and those guys elected me to be a captain."

The mood among Redskins has been somber all season long--even when they beat St. Louis and Tampa Bay, fans crowed about Jim Zorn's ineptitude and the general disarray that's enveloped the franchise. Today's news, however speculative, certainly won't help matters. The Washington Post's Jason Reid reports:

It appears the Redskins will be without Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels for the remainder of the season because of a career-threatening neck injury he suffered at the beginning of the 20-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Samuels plans to meet with physicians Tuesday to re-evaluate his injury, but after speaking with league sources the past two days, I expect Samuels to sit out the rest of the season and seriously contemplate retirement. When you start talking about spinal cords (Samuels has played with stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, since high school.) and possible nerve damage, well, Samuels is too smart to risk his future health. No player in that locker room is tougher or more dedicated to his teammates than Samuels; he's proven that time and time again, players said, but it's not as if he has a broken arm or a high-ankle sprain. We're talking about being able to walk.

With Samuels in the lineup, the Redskins ranked 27th in the NFL in scoring, averaging only 14.6 points per game. With ineffective tackle Stephon Heyer taking over for Samuels on the left side and Mike Williams, who started at guard last week, filling Heyer's former spot, the Redskins will leave their backs in to block a lot and use many two-tight-end formations on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at FedEx Field in an attempt to protect quarterback Jason Campbell.

Again, much of Reid's reporting hinges on speculation, here. Samuels has yet to reach a final decision on a timetable for his return this season, let alone for the remainder of his career. Football Outsiders' "Injury Expert" Will Carroll weighs in with a much-needed dose of sobriety:

Indeed, there's a lot left to be determined, here. Namely, Samuels' follow-up with doctors this upcoming Tuesday. Still, when you talk about injuries to the spinal cord--for a player with a degenartive spinal cord condition--there's ample reason for concern. We'll have more as it emerges.