NFL Nation

          Packers president surprised by B.J. Raji's decision to walk away

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          Packers president Murphy respects Raji's decision (1:15)

          BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Mark Murphy is like a lot of ex-NFL players; the league retired him, not the other way around.

          “I wanted to keep playing, desperately,” said Murphy, who played eight seasons (1977 to 1984) for the Washington Redskins. “I wanted to keep playing, but I wasn’t able to. As I look back on it, it’s probably the best thing that happened to me.”

          The way Murphy sees things from his role as Green Bay Packers president, most players still feel the same way he did.

          Then along came B.J. Raji, who shocked just about everyone -- Murphy and the Packers' front office included -- when he told them last week that he intended to walk away from the game for at least a year, leaving a lucrative contract offer to return to Green Bay on the table for what he called a “hiatus from football in 2016” at only 29 years old.

          The last Murphy heard, Packers contract negotiator Russ Ball had struck a deal with Raji’s agent.

          And then came last Monday’s news.

          “Oh yeah, he had been communicating with Russ and we thought we had a deal done,” Murphy said Sunday night at the NFL owners meetings. “I think it surprised his agent. I’ll tell you, I really respect B.J. It’s not an easy decision. The easy thing to do is take the money. Especially the letter he wrote, he obviously thought things through. No, I was surprised. I’m happy for him. He obviously gave it some thought.”

          Raji’s full retirement letter can be found here. He referenced legendary coach Vince Lombardi and how he often said it takes a "total commitment." Raji then added, "I knew that I would not be able to live up to Coach Lombardi’s 'total commitment' standard and made this decision out of respect to this great organization." But Murphy also said “some of the illnesses in his family affected him as well.” Those were not mentioned in Raji’s statement.

          “I think most players will play as long as they can but I think you can play too long,” Murphy said. “If your heart isn’t in it and you’re not passionate about it, it’s probably the best thing to do, step away from the game.”