Chargers C Nick Hardwick To Announce Retirement On Tuesday

Chargers veteran C Nick Hardwick plans to announce his retirement from NFL on Tuesday.

“I’m nervous about tomorrow just because it’s so final,” Hardwick said in a phone conversation with Michael Gehlken of the Union-Tribune San Diego. “To declare your intentions publicly and vocally, it’s so final. But I’m also really excited. It’s going to be a really good celebration of a fabulous career. I’ve had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. That’s where I am now, reflecting what I took from it.

“I got a fast track to life on a professional and personal development course. I feel like I have the wisdom of a 60-year-old in a 33-year-old’s body, and I’m so thankful for that. Everything is so elevated in football. The highs are so high, and the lows are so low. … It’s a big soul-searching journey. I’m really thankful that I guess I found the sport, and the sport found me.”

San Diego placed him on season-ending injured reserve back in September after he sustained a neck injury.

There was talk in the past few months that this could be the end for Hardwick, who has spent the past 11 years with the Chargers.

Hardwick, 33, is a former third-round pick of the Chargers back in 2004. He made one Pro Bowl in 2006 and was named to the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.

He was set to be an unrestricted free agent in the coming months.