Ex-49ers LB Willis working at tech startup in Silicon Valley

Seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis is smashing stereotypes instead of running backs after retiring from the NFL.

The former San Francisco 49ers standout is now an executive vice president at a Silicon Valley-based company called Open Source Storage.

Willis is proud of his foray into a completely different field after an illustrious eight-year NFL career.

"People always told me when I was growing up that if you want to be something great, you have to be this physical specimen that can jump up to here and all that," Willis said to Mashable's Sam Laird.

Willis added, "For me, this is an opportunity to be able to tell young kids that you can be more than just a physical specimen to be great. I'm a person that can't speak about something until I've done it myself."

Willis' retirement took many by surprise. He was considered one of the NFL's premier inside linebackers when he decided to hang up his cleats in March 2015.

It's possible that Willis could've been financially stable for the rest of his life based off his NFL earnings, but the 31-year-old wants to resist complacency.

"I don't want to rest on what I've done and let that keep me from doing what I want to do," Willis said. "I'd rather be reading something or diving into something and trying to figure it out."