He’s only two years into his career, but Puka Nacua is already one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
Nacua set rookie records in 2023, catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns after landing with the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He missed time due to injuries in 2024, but still hauled in 79 passes for 990 yards and three scores. His averages in both receptions and receiving yards per game were up year over year.
As he heads into his third season, it’s reasonable to expect big things from Nacua once again — even with a new teammate in Davante Adams. According to Nacua, though, you shouldn’t expect him to be plying his trade for as long as the 32-year-old Adams has so far. He’s going to be out of the league by then.
“I want to retire at the age of 30,” Nacua said during an appearance on the Join the Lobby podcast. “I’m 23 right now. I’m going into Year 3, so like 10 years. It wouldn’t even be 10 years — more like 7 or 8. But I think of, like, A.D. — Aaron Donald — to go out at the top would be super cool. But I want to have a big family. I want to have at least a starting five (of children)… I want to be able to be a part of their lives and be as active as I can with them.”
Nacua noted that injuries are not something you can really control as an NFL player, and that if you sustain injuries and need operations on things like your shoulder or ankle or other body parts, it can affect you for the rest of your life.
“By the time my kids could be 18, I could be barely walking if you play the game and sustain all the injuries and stuff like that, but I want to retire early,” he said.
He’s already dealt with multiple injuries since entering the NFL, and injury concerns were part of the reason he dropped to the fifth round of the draft in the first place. So, it makes sense that he’d be concerned about the long-term effects of injuries piling up as he makes his way through his career.
