Broncos G Chris Kuper retiring after 8 NFL seasons

Denver Broncos guard Chris Kuper is retiring from professional football after eight seasons, he announced Monday.

Kuper suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the 2011 regular-season finale and has never been 100 percent healthy since. 

"The season kind of furthered my idea that this would probably be the end for me," Kuper, who started just one game last season, said. "I didn't feel good all season. I did my best when I was out there. I just wasn't the same player. And I think that's a big part of my decision, not being the same player."

Kuper, 31, started 79 games over eight seasons and was the Broncos' fifth-round selection in the 2006 draft.