When Aaron Glenn retired yesterday after signing a one-day contract with the Texans, my brain gave it a "Huh?" before anything else. I don't want to knock Glenn, his credentials for being associated with the city, or his accomplishments on the field for the Texans, but it's rare that a player who played only three seasons for a team (as compared to eight for the Jets) chooses to retire as a member of that team.
Alan Burge pens an overview of the coverage looking for the motivation:
So despite all the fanfare, Glenn's signing of a one day contract to "retire a Texan" officially means nothing - other than the symbolism it represents - a feel good story if nothing else.
But Glenn was obviously moved by the event and showed his appreciation to Bob McNair and his wife Janice by telling them "You guys are everything to me. Not just as far as being here with the Texans, but even off the field. You've been a big influence in my life. I've tried to model myself with the things you've done and I'll continue to do that. I want to thank you guys for that."
Glenn also said he's been approached by the Texans to work in a front office position in some capacity under Smith. Okay ... now we're getting somewhere.
Yes, yes we are. That exact quote from the Q&A goes like this:
...and expressed interest Wednesday in joining the Texans' front office in some capacity working under Smith.
"I have (considered it), and I've been approached with that," he said. "The thing is, it's a situation where it's a slow process, and I understand that. As the days go by and months go by, hopefully I will be a part of it. I think I will be. It's a place that's opened doors for me, and I think that I'd do a good job here for the Texans. Hopefully, that day will present itself sometime down in the future, and I'm looking forward to it."
Again, not knocking Glenn. He's a great community presence and was a terrific Texan for the couple of seasons he played, especially when he single-handedly beat the Steelers in 2002. This just smelled a little fishy to me. It's not quite up there with the Miami Heat retiring Michael Jordan's jersey, but I'd bet the majority of one-day retirement contracts are signed with teams that had the player in question for longer than three years. The potential job opportunity, of course, gave the Texans much more of a reason to promote Glenn's retirement.