Jenkins retires after 10 years in NFL

After watching the past two seasons get cut short by knee injuries, veteran nose tackle Kris Jenkins has decided to retire.

Jenkins, a Jets salary-cap casualty who was released in February, made the announcement Wednesday, ending a 10-year NFL career. The soon-to-be 32-year-old tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in the Jets' season-opening loss to the Ravens, forcing him to miss the bulk of the 2010 season.

He had been rehabilitating with the hopes of playing one more season, whether it was with the Jets or some place else. But the 6-5, 360-pound tackle said his body just won't let him do it.

"It's bittersweet," Jenkins told Newsday. "My mind is always willing. I've been playing football since I was 8 years old and it's been a part of my life in so many ways. It's still not all the way sinking in that I'm transitioning to life after football. But on the other end of it, my body has been telling me otherwise. And that's where I have to be honest.

"I've got to be a father, I've got a lot of stuff that I've got to take care of. I can't afford to be in a wheelchair during the best times of being a dad."

Jenkins, who spent three seasons with the Jets, was working out at a facility in Martinsville, N.J., trying to get ready to play. The four-time Pro Bowler said earlier in the offseason that he would prefer to play for a team that plays its home games on natural grass. He believed the turf helped contribute to his two torn ACLs. Jenkins played in all 16 regular-season games in six of his 10 seasons.

"That quality of life, I owe my wife and I owe my family," he said. "It has to come first."