From 2015 through 2018, Eddie Goldman established himself as one of the best nose tackles in the NFL. His size, power, and intelligence allowed him to clog running lanes easily. Offensive lines hated going against him. He was fine again in 2019, and expectations were he’d continue to be a focal point for their defensive line moving forward. Then something happened.
Goldman opted out of playing in 2020 due to fear of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fair enough. He was far from the only athlete to do so. He’d simply be back in 2021, fully rested and ready to go. Yet when the time came for him to rejoin the team, Goldman stayed away. Volunteer minicamps, OTAs, and mandatory minicamps? All were skipped. Suddenly people were left wondering if the defensive tackle had mentally checked out of football during his long hiatus. Some even suggested he was pondering retirement.
In the end, Goldman elected to play last year. It was difficult to watch. The player he’d been two years prior wasn’t there. He wasn’t terrible, but the dominance he’d shown before was a distant memory. That was a big reason why new GM Ryan Poles chose to cut him earlier this offseason. He was no longer close to worth the money the Chicago Bears were paying him. Goldman opted to sign with the Atlanta Falcons, joining several former Bears teammates down there.
Then the other shoe finally dropped.
Veteran DT Eddie Goldman, who recently signed with the #Falcons, has informed the team that he's retiring instead, source said. The former #Bears standout, who is 28, played six seasons, plus the opt-out year in 2020.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 19, 2022
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Eddie Goldman finally reached the inevitable conclusion.
It was obvious his love of football had slackened during his time away. Other circumstances in his private life might’ve played a part too. Such details are impossible to know for sure. Anybody with common sense could see his reluctance to return last year. It was almost as if he had to talk himself into giving it a go. Maybe he felt obligated because of the money he’d be turning down by stepping away. Perhaps he didn’t want to let his teammates down.
Whatever it was, Eddie Goldman reached his breaking point with training camp about to begin. He is far from the first player in NFL history to retire before his 30th birthday. It has become a growing trend over the past decade. Some players don’t want to break their bodies down. They make their millions, have a decent few years in the NFL, and then get out. Bears fans should appreciate what he accomplished during his first four seasons, helping them dig out of perpetual misery in the 2010s to win the division in 2018.
Goldman was a good, but not great, NT for about 2.5 seasons at most. There were so many Pro Bowlers taken after him in 2015 it’s a joke. He was never a top NFL NT and wasn’t even widely known outside of Chicago. He is a perfect example of us, as Chicago fans, overestimating our own. And it was painfully obvious that he did not want to be a Bear last year.
Good job by Ryan Poles for not overlooking the obvious – overrated, overpaid, and did not want to play football anymore.
Eddie got his money and got lazy.
Over the phone Pace made it feel like Chicago, but the actual experience had too many rough spots? Hot-lanta has a history of front office/coaching chaos.
Smart Man he got paid and got out with his health seemingly intact
Eddie was successful in the NFL until COVID which impacted NFL players in various ways. Australia in the Southern Hemisphere is getting hammered from the virus right now and that could have changed Goldman’s mind about the coming season. Sometimes health supersedes our plans.