New York Giants running back Tiki Barber made a similar decision this season, retiring to accept a broadcasting job with NBC despite still playing at a high level.
"We came into the league together and when he said 'retire,' I said to him that we were thinking the same stuff," Dillon said. "We've had a ton of carries, a ton of pounding."
The 32-year-old Dillon believes he has nothing more to prove. In 10 seasons with the Bengals (1997-2003) and Patriots (2004-06), he totaled 11,241 rushing yards, 14th on the NFL's all-time list. In 2004, he won the Super Bowl ring he coveted.
"There comes a time in your football career when you come to a conclusion and I'm at mine," he said. "I don't need to play."
Asked if he would suit up for another team, Dillon said he was "going to leave the window open, but it's very slim.
"Football is the furthest thing on my mind right now," he said. "I may wake up and feel the itch and decide I still want to shake it, but as of now, I doubt that will happen."
Dillon said he has yet to speak with the Patriots. He is under contract for the next three seasons and his salary cap charge for 2007 is $4.4 million. Given that number, it's likely the Patriots would grant his request.
When he signed a five-year extension in 2005 (with $6 million in bonuses), Dillon said he treated it as a two-year deal because of its structure. That extension, which paid him approximately $10 million the last two years, came after the season in which the Patriots acquired him from the Bengals for a second-round draft choice. In his first year with New England, Dillon set the franchise's season record for rushing yards (1,635 yards) and felt revived after seven mostly losing seasons in Cincinnati. Dillon also enjoyed the idea that he could blend into the team concept with the Patriots.
"That was the best season of my career," said Dillon, who settled with his family in Newton. "I did everything they wanted me to do and we won it all. It wasn't like I went to the Pats and sat on the bench. I did my work and I'd like people to think I was a deciding factor in helping win the Super Bowl."
