Rams Star Receiver Puka Nacua Says He Wants To Finish Playing By 30

NFL stars retiring sooner rather than later has been a trend in recent years.  

Andrew Luck, Patrick Willis and Aaron Donald are some of the more popular players to have retired earlier than expected.

Much to the chagrin of Los Angeles Rams fans, you can add Puka Nacua to the list after the lead wide out announced that he’s planning to hang up the spikes by age 30. 

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Puka Nacua #17 of the Los Angeles reacts during an NFL Football game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

That’s not exactly what you want to hear from a budding talent, but at 23, Nacua still has plenty of football left … should he stick to that timeline.

Appearing on the "Join the Lobby" podcast, Nacua dished out his brow-raising plan, which may not land as smoothly with his organization and fans. 

"I know I want to retire at the age of 30," Nacua admitted. "I'm 23 right now, I'm going into Year 3 — it wouldn't even be 10 years. It’d be maybe seven or eight. I think of Aaron Donald, to go out at the top, I think it would be super cool."

For guys like Luck, mounting injuries became a concern, which Puka is seemingly baking into his decision-making, along with spending more time with the rest of the Nacua family. 

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: Puka Nacua #17 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates a two point conversion score during the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at SoFi Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

"I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them," Puka said.

"The injuries are something you can't control [as] part of the game, so you never know," he added. 

"Hopefully, the rest of the career can go healthy, but you have shoulder surgery, you have knee surgery, you have ankle. By the time my kids could be 18, I could be barely walking if you play the game and sustain all the injuries and stuff like that, but I want to retire early."

Last season, Nacua recorded 61 catches for 805 yards and three touchdowns. 

With Nacua’s emergence, the Rams were able to split with longtime WR1 and former Triple Crown winner, Cooper Kupp, along with adding perennial Pro Bowler Davante Adams this offseason. 

As Rams QB Matthew Stafford nears the end of his career at age 37, Nacua’s timing to call it quits may actually work out in the long run. 

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