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Caden Sterns, a former Denver Broncs safety, has been forced to retire at the age of 25 after a devastating knee injury.
Sterns, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in fifth round of the 2021 draft. announced the news Thursday in an emotional post on social media.
He hasn't played in the NFL since September 2023, when he tore his patella tendon on Week 1 of the season against Las Vegas Raiders.
'Well, damn. Crazy to say it’s been 2+ years since the last time I stepped on a football field,' Sterns wrote at the start of his lengthy statement. 'I spent that time first trying to function like a healthy human being again… then fighting my way back to playing the greatest sport at a high level.
'As I sit here writing this - with tears rolling down my face - I’m feeling it all. Tears of pain, sadness, the sting of not becoming the player I wanted to be. I wonder why.
'But who am I to question what God meant for me to be? I’ve come to understand there’s a timing for everything. I understand some chapters are supposed to have rough endings. Nevertheless, we flip the page - and the story still continues, and it only gets better.'
Caden Sterns, a former Denver Broncs safety, has been forced to retire at the age of 25
Sterns said tears were 'rolling down my face' as he wrote his retirement statement
Sterns addmitted that he has been troubled by the 'what ifs' around his career now he has been forced to walk away from the game at 25.
'I gave this s**t everything - AND then some - just like countless others do. And it shaped me into who I am today.
'I learned what it means to strive with others toward a goal, to stand for something far bigger than myself while the opposing side does everything it can to hold you back.
'I learned confidence, humility, love, brotherhood, and community. I learned how to overcome anything and everything that comes with adversity.
'I’ve made game-winning plays, and I’ve given up game-winning touchdowns. Those moments feel like opposite ends of the earth, but both of them built me. So even though it’s a 'kids game”, to me it’s more - it simulates the journey of life.
'I won’t pretend I don’t feel the what-ifs. I do. I won’t pretend I don’t feel some resentment toward the injuries or the timing. I do. But I also won’t pretend I don’t feel God’s hand all over this.
'Some prayers are answered in ways you don’t recognize at first. Sometimes the lesson is the answer. Sometimes the ending that doesn’t look “good” is exactly the one that sets up the next chapter.'
Sterns was released by the Broncos in 2023. He nearly had a return with the Carolina Panthers in August 2024 but they released him two days later after he failed his physical.
Sterns pictured in his last NFL appearance in September 2023, when he tore his patella
Later that month, he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles but only made it as far as the practice squad as he tried to recapture his best form after his knee injury.
'So to the game I’ll forever love and cherish - thank you for the euphoria, the highest of highs, the tough lessons that didn’t feel like lessons at the time, and the perspective I couldn’t have learned any other way,' he finished his statement with.
'Thank you for the brotherhood. Thank you for the standard. Thank you for the purpose. So with that Goodbye… to the jersey. But not to the work. Not the standard. Not the love.'
