Hobbs' NFL career could end after another neck injury.


After suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit against the New York Giants that left him motionless on the field for over 10 minutes, Ellis Hobbs is expected to undergo his second neck surgery in the same calendar year.

And according to the sources ESPN's Adam Schefter has spoken to, Hobbs would prefer this be his very last and has seriously contemplated retirement.

"There's a good chance of that [Hobbs retiring]," a source told Shefter Saturday.

Another source told Schefter that "if Hobbs had to make a decision today, he would retire." But, like Schefter notes, Hobbs has been advised to take his time and not rush a decision. It's understandable why he'd be ready to walk away from the game right now, but given the success of the surgery and his recovery, it's possible he could return next season.

Garry Cobb of GCobb.com said last week that he believes Hobbs should retire before suffering any life-altering injuries.

"This is solely my opinion," Cobb writes, "but if I had damage to a disc in my neck and back area, which has to involve the spinal column, I would retire immediately. If he’s looking at things clearly, Hobbs should retire rather than risk being paralyzed."

It's hard to argue with that reasoning, but football players do what they do because they're some of the toughest (and hard-headed) people on the planet. There are a lot of guys who keep playing when their knees have basically eroded away or they can't move their shoulder or they're permanently dizzy from concussions because football is all they know.

But that's an argument coming from a former player, so to say he would retire immediately if given the same situation has to carry some weight.

I don't think anyone would blame Hobbs either way. If he walked away from the game, everyone would understand. He's going to be a free agent at the end of the season and it might be difficult to get a team to take a chance on him. He might just figure now is the time to walk away.

Conversely, I don't believe anyone would look down on him for wanting to come back, either.

We likely won't get any confirmation one way or the other until deep in the offseason, but right now it looks like Hobbs' playing career is over.