Former All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth hasn't closed the door on returning to the NFL.
Whitworth retired in March after 16 pro seasons. Asked on "The Season with Peter Schrager" podcast if he'd consider rejoining one of his former teams, the Cincinnati Bengals, he wasn't opposed to the idea.
"I've said this since the day I retired: I'll never say never," Whitworth replied. "There's always a chance.
"I love adventures, I love taking on chances ... obviously there's a lot of things that would go into it. ... I mean, I'm technically under contract still with the (Los Angeles) Rams, and I'd have to kick off the old dust a little bit and see if these tires can still move a little bit. But you know what? I'd never say no to the option."
The Bengals' offensive line sustained a significant loss Saturday when starting right tackle La'el Collins suffered season-ending ACL and MCL tears in Cincinnati's Week 16 win over the New England Patriots. Whitworth - who has only ever played on the left side - acknowledged that replacing Collins would be a big challenge.
"I've only played left tackle my entire career. So, when you flip your feet, play the other way, it's very challenging," he said. "It's almost like you've never done it before in some senses. There's only a few guys that are good at it."
Whitworth spent 11 campaigns with Cincinnati before joining the Rams, with whom he won Super Bowl LVI last season. The 41-year-old joined Amazon's Thursday Night Football coverage as an analyst after retiring.
