John Moffitt to return to football

Former Seahawks' guard John Moffitt, who retired in 2013 after two seasons in the NFL, has decided to get back into the game. Per his training partner/instructor, Jay Glazer (Glazer runs Unbreakable Performance Center):

I have never been so proud of a guy I've trained than I am of John Moffitt. Retired two years ago bc he knew he had drug issues, took time to go to rehab, clean up his life, beat his demons and he has taken his life back! Guy inspires us every day. He came to me 3 months ago @unbreakable to train to take his career back. He's become the favorite of every player in our gym. He officially un-retired today. Free agent starting guard. So proud of him to get here

Glazer notes that Moffitt retired because "he knew he had drug issues," which wasn't officially public knowledge until this point, but makes a lot of sense considering Moffitt's arrest for possession of weed, cocaine, and ecstasy a year after he retired.

Initially, Moffitt cited his unhappiness with playing football as the reason for his retirement.

"I just really thought about it and decided I'm not happy. I'm not happy at all," Moffitt said at the time. "And I think it's really madness to risk your body, risk your well-being and risk your happiness for money. Everybody, they just don't get it and they think it's crazy. But I think what I was doing is crazy."

Moffitt noted that the money wasn't a big influencer into his decision, and said his concerns over his long term health were a bigger deal.

"I've saved enough. It's not like I'm sitting here and I'm a millionaire," he said. "That's what I kind of realized. I'm sitting here and I got to this point and I was like, what is the number that you need? How much do you really need? What do you want in life? And I decided that I don't really need to be a millionaire. I just want to be happy. And I find that people that have the least in life are sometimes the happiest. And I don't have the least in life. I have enough in life. And I won't sacrifice my health for that."

Sounds like, per Glazer, there were a lot of things going on under the surface -- "his demons" -- that factored into the decision as well, and it sounds like it's a good thing that he retired to get those things under control. Moffitt was always a fan- and player-favorite because of his affable personality, so it should be interesting to see if he gets a shot in someone's camp this year.

Would it be Seattle? The Seahawks have always been about second-chances, and they just so happen to have an opening at the guard spot. But, with the history there, there's a possibility that it may not be a great culture fit -- we don't really know what went on behind the scenes, but Seattle did trade him off to Cleveland (which was rescinded after a failed physical) and then Denver, for essentially peanuts. We shall see. At the time of his retirement, Moffitt expressed regret about how things had gone, but said he loved the city.

"Obviously, I wish things worked out better in Seattle," he said. "I wish I played more there, but I loved college football. I loved being in Seattle playing football. It wasn't always the easiest, but I live here now and I'm thankful," he said. "I look back and I'm thankful for the whole experience. That's enough for me."

Glazer has whipped guys into shape over the past few years with his MMA inspired regimen, so we'll see what kind of shape he's in for his comeback. Best of luck to him.

NOTE: The Broncos will release Moffitt, meaning he'll now go through waivers, where any team can claim him. My guess is that he'll clear waivers to become an unrestricted free agent, but we'll see.