Jake Plummer announces retirement

Mar 4, 2007, 20:50 GMT

Denver, CO - Jake Plummer made good on his threat of retirement Sunday.

Despite rumors of Plummer hanging it up, the veteran quarterback was traded by the Denver Broncos to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

News of the deal first leaked Friday, and the Denver Post reported that Plummer indicated he would rather retire than play for another NFL team.

Plummer lost his starting job in Denver to rookie Jay Cutler late last season. Cutler played the final five games of the 2006 campaign after Plummer had guided Denver to a record of 7-4.

Despite the solid record, Plummer struggled and had a passer rating of just 70.5 -- 14th among 15 AFC quarterbacks -- when he was benched. He finished the season completing just 55.2 percent of his passes for 1,994 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

The 32-year-old veteran spent four seasons in Denver and led the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game after the 2005 season. He played the first six years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

Plummer, who starred at Arizona State collegiately, led the dismal Cardinals to one playoff appearance in his six seasons with Arizona. He has thrown for 29,253 yards with 161 touchdowns and 161 interceptions in his NFL career.

'First, I want to thank my family and close friends for their loyal support through all these fun-filler rollercoaster years,' Plummer said is a statement released on his website.

'Second, I owe all my greatest achievements in football to the men who stood by my side as teammates and coaches. Also, a big thank you to the fans that have rooted for me through the ups and downs of my career. Football has been awesome to me in many ways. I leave the game with my health and happiness, and look forward to the future. I've got many rivers to cross.'

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