Bears running back Barber retires
NFL running back may be the only job where 28 is considered retirement age.
That's how old Bears running back Marion Barber is, and he decided to call it a career Friday after seven seasons, including the first six with the Dallas Cowboys.
Barber faced an uphill battle to stick with the Bears after they agreed a day earlier to pay unrestricted free agent Michael Bush $14 million over four years to back up starter Matt Forte. Barber had one year left on the two-year, $4.5 million deal he signed last summer that included a $500,000 signing bonus.
His retirement saves the Bears $2 million under this year's salary cap, his base salary of $1.9 million plus a $100,000 workout bonus. They take just a $250,000 cap hit for Barber, the prorated portion of his signing bonus.
Barber expressed gratitude to the four head coaches he played for, including Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett in Dallas, and the Bears' Lovie Smith.
“I want to thank everyone who helped me become a better player,” Barber told the Bears' website. “I owe a lot to a lot of coaches, and am also very grateful to the owners and organizations I played for. Last but not least, I want to thank the fans for the support and inspiration they gave me.”
Bears fans supported Barber because of his physical and violent running style, which helped him score a team-best 6 touchdowns last season, but they were disappointed by his play in a 13-10 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Dec. 11. With the Bears trying to run out the clock late in regulation, Barber ran out of bounds, stopping the clock. In overtime, he lost a fumble that led to the Broncos' game-winning field goal.
The 5-foot-11, 218-pound Barber was a fourth-round choice of the Cowboys in 2005. Over six seasons in Dallas, he rushed for 4,358 yards on 1,042 carries with 47 touchdowns and a 4.2-yard rushing average. He also caught 174 passes for 1,280 yards (7.4-yard average) and 6 touchdowns. In three seasons at the University of Minnesota, Barber finished second in career all-purpose yards with 4,495 and second in rushing touchdowns with 35.
Barber averaged just 3.7 yards on 114 carries for the Bears (422 yards) last season, and he was outperformed by Kahlil Bell, who began the year third in the depth chart but rushed for 337 yards on 79 carries, a 4.3-yard average.
“I want to thank everyone who gave me the opportunity to play,” Barber said, “and I'm very thankful to have had the chance to suit up for two of the NFL's most storied organizations.”
Seven years doesn't seem like a very lengthy career, but it's almost twice as long as the average for a running back in the NFL.