Former Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel has finally decided to call it quits. The second most prolific pass rusher in team annals will end his nine-year career in the NFL solely as a Buffalo Bill.
"I just decided for sure this past Friday," Schobel told Buffalobills.com. "I know that for a while there I was going back and forth, but I was always sort of leaning that way and then I just said that enough was enough and decided that I wasn't going to (come back)."
Schobel, who was released by the Bills Aug. 4, said that he will file his retirement papers with the league as soon as he receives them from his agent.
What had Schobel so conflicted was the sizable salary he left on the table with four years left on his contract.
"By no means did I ever try to get out of Buffalo," he said. "That's not what it was about. I just didn't know if I wanted to play. (Playing again) was something I did not want to do, but financially should I do it? That's where I was at for the most part. I was scared that I would regret it if I didn't do it, but ultimately I decided I didn't want to do it."
Family was also a part of the decision for Schobel. With three school age children, all of whom started school Monday, he and his wife June no longer wanted them splitting the school year between two cities.
"I think some of the kids wanted me to play in Houston, but that wasn't going to work," Schobel said. "They're glad they're staying at home. They didn't want to be moving around."
When asked if his decision is final, Schobel confirmed that it was.
"If some team calls I'm not even going to listen to them," he said.
