John Carlson is not done playing football. Carlson suffered the third concussion of his NFL career last season in Week 14 and missed the rest of the season.
Carlson, 30, also suffered two concussions while playing for Notre Dame in college.
While retirement was discussed between Carlson and his wife the tight end is going to keep playing.
“I never once said I was going to retire; I said I’m going to evaluate this just like I do every year,” Carlson told the Star Tribune on Saturday. “I’ve gone through that process, and I feel great.”
Carlson finished the season with 32 catches for 344 yards and a touchdown much of which came after Kyle Rudolph broke his foot in Week 9.
“It’s a serious thing, but I’m not ready to be done,” Carson said. “I’m not done and the doctors are telling me that it’s OK that I’m not done.
“But the way it was kind of taken by other people was, ‘Oh he’s done. He’s got a concussion.’ This is football. Guys get concussions; a lot of guys cover concussions up, and they hide them. I haven’t done that because I don’t want to do that. I value my health, and I also value my career in this opportunity. Once you shut it down, you really can’t go back. The end is the end.”
