Former Redskins safety David Bruton announced his retirement Monday after eight seasons in the NFL.
A post shared by David Bruton Jr. (@d_brutjr30) on Jul 24, 2017 at 7:42am PDT
Bruton, 30, played with the Redskins last season and appeared in four games. His season was cut short after suffering a concussion in October and was put on injured reserve.
Bruton, a fourth-round pick in 2009, spent the majority of his previous seven seasons with the Denver Broncos, winning a Super Bowl in 2015. He was a standout on special teams and often appeared in the team’s dime package.
With the Redskins, Bruton competed for a starting safety spot and won the job in training camp. He started all four games before being put on IR.
Bruton had 28 tackles and one sack last season.
He told the Denver Post he was retiring, partly, because of concerns about his health.
“At the end of the day it came down to health and being able to still get up and play with the kiddos or take the dog on the run or go do hobbies,” Bruton said. “I just lost passion to continue playing. I felt like it was the best route for me to hang it up and pursue a different route.”
Bruton had signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Redskins in 2016, but was released in December. He told the Post that teams had reached out to him for a potential playoff run, though admitted he didn’t have the desire to play.
He also admitted his time with the Redskins was different from what he was used to with the Broncos.
“It was definitely a change,” he said. “Washington was run a lot differently than out here in Denver and just how guys are was a lot different. … I don’t feel like I was as welcomed there as I was here in Denver.”
In his retirement, Bruton plans to go back to school to become a physical therapist.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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