It's Official: Kurt Warner To Retire After 12 Seasons In NFL, Brief Stint In Grocery Store

Via Pro Football Talk, we have video of Kurt Warner's Friday press conference. Warner has retired after a 12-year NFL career. One interesting snippet:

I've come to realize that had I not lost [Super Bowl XXXVI], I probably would have never been here in Arizona.

Here's the video.

With the news that former Ram and Cardinal great Kurt Warner will indeed be hanging up his cleats, SB Nation’s Turf Show Times reflects on what he meant to St. Louis:

Two MVP awards, two trips to the Super Bowl and one ring…Warner’s career with the Rams will be remembered as one of the greatest moments in the history of this storied franchise. When the Rams moved to St. Louis I was dubious, but I decided to become a fan of the team because I thought pro football had a place under the Arch. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Then the Tony Banks era ended and things started looking up. I had my doubts that summer when Trent Green went down, but I haven’t had any since then. Warner’s not coming back, but the lesson is that the Rams franchise, no matter how low things seem to have sunk lately, is on the right track and things will turn around, soon. Warner is a good reminder of why a fan has to keep the faith.

On Friday afternoon, Kurt Warner put an end to the speculation about his future, and officially announced his retirement from the NFL after 12+ seasons for the Cardinals, Rams, and New York Giants (forgot about that one, didn’t you?). SB Nation’s Arizona Cardinals blog, Revenge of the Birds, offers some thoughts on his career:

We all know his story – Warner started his career bagging groceries, which then turned into a journey through the Arena Football League and NFL Europe, only to wind up with the St. Louis Rams. Trent Green suffers a season ending knee injury early in the year and Kurt Warner takes over. He leads the Rams on a turnaround season, wins the MVP, and oh yeah, the Super Bowl. In 2001 Warner won his second MVP and also returned to the Super Bowl only to fall short.

After injuries and fumble problems, Warner was cut and served a brief stint in New York before being benched to Eli Manning.

In 2005 Warner became a member of the Arizona Cardinals and was primarily signed to compete for a starting job. He beat out Matt Leinart in 2007 and never looked back. Warner turned the Cardinals into one of the top offenses in the league the last three seasons, helped the Cardinals clinch back to back NFC West titles, and also propelled the team to their first Super Bowl appearance in 2008.

He’ll always be remembered for turning around two of the worst franchises in the league and leading them to the glory land. We all owe a great due of respect and thanks to Warner for everything he has done. He’s been a great athlete on the field and a great man outside of football. Now he can take this time to relax, spend more time with his family, and prepare his speech for Canton.

Ahh, yes…. The first question that Warner’s retirement prompts is whether he is, indeed, a Hall-of-Fame quarterback. While the writer above seems to think it’s a foregone conclusion, others have their doubts. But courtesy of SportingNews.com, at least two hall of fame quarterbacks think Warner belongs right next to them in Canton:

Troy Aikman: “I believe a player is a Hall of Fame player if you can’t tell the story of the history of the game without mentioning that player. In my opinion, no account of the NFL can be accurately given without discussing Kurt Warner’s impact on the game.”

Len Dawson: “I think he deserves it. I don’t know if I’ve seen a more accurate passer, and he generally didn’t make too many mistakes. The tag on him was he never got the opportunity. He was playing Arena Football and stuff like that. But once he got the opportunity, he took full advantage of it.”

So does he belong in the Hall of Fame? His story’s certainly compelling enough to merit inclusion in any historical account of pro football, and anyone that’s ever rooted against him in a big game knows the feeling all too well—when he was playing well, he could be downright terrifying for the opposition. Hall of fame or not (and he’ll probably make it), he was always a class act and a great player, and someone that fans will remember for a long, long time.

From ESPN’s Trey Wingo, Kurt Warner’s Friday press conference is schedule for 3 p.m. ET. It is believe that Warner, 38, will announce his retirement from football. He will also reportedly address his plans for the future, which may involve coaching or broadcasting.

NFL’s Jason La Canfora is reporting that Kurt Warner will announce his retirement at the Friday press conference he has planned. Warner is expected to discuss his post-retirement plans, which could include broadcasting or coaching, both of which would mean he isn’t technically in retirement, now wouldn’t they?

Next stop: The great debate over whether or not Warner is a hall of famer. The definitive answer from the staff at SB Nation: maybe?

We will know whether or not Kurt Warner is going to continue playing football this Friday, according to Adam Schefter. Warner has reportedly be considering retirement since after the regular season ended, and a week ago said that he is praying that God “takes away the desire in me to play this game.”

That, combined with the fact that Warner has made a decision so quickly, suggests that the 38-year-old Cardinals QB is going to call it quits. If he does indeed walk away, Arizona’s brief run atop the division may come to an end with Matt Leinart taking control of the offense. (Because he’s not very good, you see?)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner sounds like a man who is ready to call it a career. Speaking to ESPN’s Rick Reilly, Warner said he’s never been as sore as he is now and that he might call upon a higher power to take away his desire to play.

“I pray that God takes away the desire in me to play this game,” he says. “I’ve loved it for so long. I need Him to take that away from me, so that I can be comfortable with this decision.”

Warner also said the pressure to be great is beginning to get to him. If he has a bad game, then people are asking, ’What’s wrong with Kurt Warner?’ When he turns in a high caliber performance, the feeling isn’t the same as it used to be because people have come to expect (and demand) those types of games.

Revenge of the Birds wonders if Warner’s situation will compare to another silver-haired quarterback that likes to talk about retirement.

It seems as if every year for the past decade he’s lamented the rigors of showing up to work seven days a week and putting his mind and body through the grind of a 16 game season. Yet somehow every off season Favre’s feelings turn from worrying about the grind to anticipating the enjoyment of stepping on the field with 52 other men.

Will that same change of heart take place with Kurt Warner?

Officially, Warner has yet to make a decision but it sure sounds like he wants to hang ’em up.

After the Cardinals 51-45 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Kurt Warner’s lap around the stadium seemed to back up earlier reports that Warner is strongly considering hanging it up after the playoffs. The Cardinals will not play again at home this season and Warner took a lap around the field at University of Phoenix Stadium to high-five fans. When asked about it, however, Warner said it wasn’t about saying goodbye, rather a chance to say thanks.

“That was my way of saying thanks to the fans because I know we’re not coming back here this year,” Warner said of the lap. “I appreciate them. We haven’t played our best football at home this year, but they’ve been incredible for us.”

Warner did admit that its not outside the realm of possibility that he will retire after this year, though that decision hasn’t been made yet.

“I never want to make an emotional decision,” he said, "and I think it’s easy to do, whether it’s after a game like this, to say, ’I’m going to play forever,’ or after a bad game to say, ‘Ah, I’m done.’

“There is no question I continue to think about it and have thought about it over the last few years and will again this year. I don’t think you want to stay too long, but you don’t want to go out before it’s time.”

Clearly, Warner has learned a thing or two from Brett Favre.