Star receiver retires rather than wait on CFL offers
His family deserves an answer today, not three months from now, so Ricky Collins Jr. has settled on a difficult one
The 28-year-old, who was thought to be one of the most coveted wide receivers available in Canadian Football League free agency this year but didn't sign a deal, has instead announced his retirement.
“I was talking to my wife (Haley) and my parents and my mentor, thinking about the next chapter of my life, and wanting to be stable and knowing exactly what was next instead of wondering about the uncertainty of the CFL season,” he said Wednesday night from his home in Tyler, Texas.
“I like to have answers for the questions being asked by any one of my family members,” said Collins Jr.
“It's extremely hard, but I can say there are no regrets walking away from the game, especially on the high note that I did. This is something I've been doing since Pop Warner, all the way to the big show. This has been my life forever, you know. It's hard, because I dedicated countless hours to the dream of playing pro football.”
Collins Jr., a 6-foot, 200-pounder, enjoyed a breakout season with the Edmonton Football Team in 2019, with 78 receptions for 1,103 yards and three touchdowns. He had signed a three-year deal through the 2021 season and was due a $30,000 roster bonus Feb. 1, but instead was cut by the team on Jan. 31.
“That left a bad taste in my mouth,” he said.
Even so, he thought there would be interest elsewhere in the league, but nothing materialized.
“That's part of it, too, the fact that free agency opened on (Feb. 9) and one of the top rated players in free agency is still on the market, you know. My life doesn't stop. It keeps going forward.”
Collins Jr. plans to run a training school for receivers in Tyler as his primary job.
He'll coach at a private school, and also work at Edge Performance, a training facility.
And if the CFL season starts in mid-june and a team wants him, would he listen to an offer?
“I'm 100 per cent retired at this point.”