Former Green Bay Packers Safety Nick Collins Announces Retirement

Nick Collins, one of the NFL’s premier safeties at the time of his career-derailing neck injury in week 2 of the 2011 season, has officially announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 31 via Twitter.

Green Bay Packers former player Nick Collins — Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Collins helped bolster the Packers’ run to the 2010 Super Bowl championship. With his biggest play of the year being an interception returned for a touchdown in the big game to give the Packers a 14-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over the course of Collins’ career he snagged 21 interceptions, with a career high 7 in 2008; three of which he returned for touchdowns. As you can tell, he had a knack for finding the end zone.

Since Collins’ departure from the team the Packers have been searching, to no avail, for a replacement of equal talent. Collins was invited to the Pro Bowl in each of his final three seasons. But Green Bay did use their first round pick of the 2014 NFL Draft on Ha Ha Clinton-Dix — where their hope at the position currently rests.

One thing is certain, he will make at least one more appearance at Lambeau Field when he’s inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and probably a few more times, too.