Former Patriots guard Dan Connolly announces retirement

Longtime New England Patriots offensive lineman Dan Connolly has announced his retirement from the NFL.

After a relatively slow start to his career upon joining the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2005, Connolly played each of the past seven seasons in New England.

Continued development on the practice squad and in a reserve role earned Connolly a full-time starting job with the club in 2010, and he would go on to hold that position for the better part of the next five years before becoming a free agent this offseason.

Though the 32-year-old believes he could have played another few seasons at the NFL level and did generate interest from other teams on the open market, having the ability to walk away from the game healthy and doing so coming off a Super Bowl win helped him reach the decision.

"It definitely played a part in it; helped me sleep better," Connolly said of the influence of the Super Bowl win on his decision, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. "I'm more at ease with the decision.

"It's important to me to leave the game healthy. I'm able to be here for my kids and walk away on my own terms. I feel like I got everything I could out of football in playing 10 years, winning a Super Bowl, and playing alongside some truly great players."

Connolly's career comes to an end having started in 71 of his 89 regular-season games, playing a contributing role on an always strong Patriots offensive front and twice appearing in the Super Bowl.