Newly acquired Giants OL Joe Looney retiring (Report)

In an unexpected move, veteran Giants offensive lineman Joe Looney has decided to retire from the game of football.

One day a Giant; next day a retiree.

It’s happened multiple times already during this year’s training camp period, with Joe Looney being the latest player to take that route.

The Giants signed Looney this past Saturday in order to provide depth on the interior of the offensive line. Looney, who was with Dallas from 2016-20, was to also reunite with his former Cowboys head coach and current Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

But according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the lineman is now calling it quits.

Joe Looney is retiring, per source. The former Cowboys OL was signed recently to provide depth on the line. A surprising turn of events. #giants #cowboys

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) August 4, 2021

Looney thus leaves the league having played 104 career games (42 starts) through nine seasons. He played three years with the 49ers (who drafted him in 2012’s fourth round out of Wake Forest) and one year in Tennessee before his five-year stint with the Cowboys.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo provided some context to Looney’s decision Wednesday.

Spoke to his agent @adross77 just now. “Joe always felt when his body didn’t respond the way he needed it to, it would be time to step away. He has too much respect for the Giants and Coach Garrett to not do that.” https://t.co/aU59uRjdSF

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 4, 2021

The 30-year-old is the third player to enter Giants training camp this summer before retiring.

Kelvin Benjamin underwent his little quarrel with head coach Joe Judge prior to the first full-team training camp practice last week. He was then cut and made the decision not to further pursue NFL opportunities.

The Giants then signed linebacker Todd Davis this past Saturday before he retired Tuesday.

Due to the various departures, the organization is likely back to searching for depth on both the interior of the offensive line and in the linebacking corps. While guard Shane Lemieux is currently dealing with a knee injury, linebacker Reggie Ragland is on the Non-Football Injury list.