Jim Kleinsasser To Retire After 13 Season With Vikings





Longtime Minnesota Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser has announced that he will retire from the NFL following this season, according to the StarTribune.
Kleinsasser will wrap up a 13-year-career after spending his entire career with the Vikings. The club drafted him 44th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft, and over the past decade the 34-year-old has been widely hailed as one of the best blocking tight-ends in the game.
“I think my wife has always been happy either way [if I play or not], but I think she is, along with myself, excited to move on to the next parts of our life,” Kleinsasser told the StarTribune.
“I still feel like I can play,” Kleinsasser continued. “I’m walking away with two legs that work great and my head is still intact, so I think I feel good about leaving the game right now and just kind of moving on.”
Through his career he has caught 192 passes for 1688 yards and six touchdowns. He also provided run blocking for 1000-yard-runners such as Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Michael Bennett, and Robert Smith.

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