Free agent defensive tackle B.J. Raji announced on Monday that he is taking a hiatus from football. Raji specifically used the word hiatus in his statement. He said would definitely not play in 2016, but would not rule out a return in the future. Here is the opening paragraph of a statement you can read in full here:
I am taking a hiatus from the NFL and will not play during the 2016 NFL season. This decision was made after hours of conversation with close family members and mentors and considerable self-introspection and is one in which I am absolutely certain. I cannot rule out a return to the NFL in the future, but I will definitely not be playing during the 2016 season.
A year ago, San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis retired from the NFL, only to subsequently state he planned on returning after a year or so away from the game. As far as we can tell, he has yet to file his paperwork to un-retire. The 49ers are back for their offseason workout program on April 4, so there is still some time before it becomes even more odd.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see if this develops into any kind of trend. We saw Chris Borland retire with no intention of coming back, but how many players will just take some time off and then return?