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Early retirees add difficult variable to NFL teams' scouting philosophies

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead evaluates players, there’s a wrinkle he must increasingly consider.

How long will this player want to play?

“It’s kind of a new movement,” Snead said. “We have discussed it in the back rooms of how you can predict that, which is probably a tough element to predict.”

Historically, most NFL players have retired when forced -- when no team wants to sign them anymore. While that’s still true, an increasing number have voluntarily walked away from the game while there’s still interest in their play.