Jared Allen announces retirement on Twitter (Video)

Jared Allen has had a decorated career, having been named a First-Team All Pro four times, the Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, and coming within one win of a Super Bowl win this past season with the Carolina Panthers. As such, it's a bit of a surprise that he didn't come back for another season to try and pursue that elusive title, but after 12 years he's calling it quits. He did so in the form of a creative video:

"This was the part where I was going to ride off into the sunset, but seeing as how there's no sunset, I'm just going to ride off." That is classic, and embodies Jared Allen's personality to a tee. If only he was able to cut the video with some spaghetti western music.

With the NFL's growing concerns over player safety and a movie that was just released about concussions, it's not surprising to see so many players retiring while they can still contribute. That said, it is a big of a shock that marquee names – who are among the most competitive athletes you could ever find – are hanging them up. We saw Marshawn Lynch announce his retirement during the Super Bowl, while Calvin Johnson is also reportedly retiring while he's still in his prime.