After being cut last week by the Carolina Panthers, cornerback Chris Gamble has decided to retire from football, informing his agent of his plans on Monday.
According to ESPN.com, Agent Carl Poston told ESPN's Josina Anderson about Gamble's intentions and that he would live to retire from football and move on to the next stage in his life. Gamble was released on Friday to help the Panthers save cap space, as he was set to have a $10.9 million salary cap hit.
"A number of teams have expressed interest in Chris Gamble," Poston said. "However, Chris informed me last night that he wants to retire. Even though he still loves football, he told me that he's decided to focus on life after football.
Gamble was the number one cornerback on the team, but the Panthers ended up saving nearly $8 million in cap space after a season that saw him injured, missing 12 games after suffering a torn labrum. Gamble was a first round pick for the Panthers in 2004 and has played in 123 games, including 117 starts, which are team records.
"Chris has been a class act. I have represented him for nine years, ever since he came out of Ohio State. He's been an ideal client and he was one of the best corners in game. He's doing it the right way. He has taken care of his money and his investments to retire successfully, and now I wish him the best in his future endeavors," Potson said.
Gamble has made 27 interceptions over his career and has also scored two touchdowns. The Panthers are set to lose Captain Munnerlyn in free agency and they have young, but unproven players in Josh Morgan and Josh Thomas. There are a number of cornerbacks in free agency that the Panthers could look at, including Brent Grimes, Quentin Jammer and Sean Smith.
The team also could look into trading for Darrelle Revis, but the team likely won't want to make a trade of that magnitude as they are trying to rebuild around Cam Newton for the future. The Panthers had another losing season in 2012, but finished strong after winning the final four games of the season.
Carolina opened with six losses in their first seven games, but Newton got better as the year went on and eventually led the team on a four game winning streak to end the year, including a 44-38 victory in the finale against the New Orleans Saints.
