Marshawn Lynch previously flirted with retirement, but now it’s official. During Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, February 7th, the Seattle Seahawks running back announced his retirement on Twitter in the most Marshawn Lynch way possible:

It’s true what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words. Marshawn Lynch, who was known to be non-vocal during his career, announced his retirement with a picture of cleats and a peace sign emoji. A frenzy ensued on Twitter and ESPN. The uproar was caused by the fact that Lynch will be retiring at the age of 29, the middle of his prime. The running back had won the Super Bowl just two years ago.

Fans find it hard to understand Lynch’s decision, but for the running back, it makes a lot of sense. Lynch had just finished up an injury-plagued season, missing 10 out of 18 games. In addition to performing at a lower level due to injury, Lynch has no financial motivation to continue his career. According to Ian Rapoport from NFL Network, Marshawn Lynch “hasn’t spent a dime of his actual playing money.” According to Spotrac.com, Lynch lived off endorsement deals and made over $68 million in actual salary during his playing career. Although he accumulated $227,857 in fines during his 9 year career, he should remain financially well-off for the rest of his life.

Lynch also had little left to accomplish. Drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 12th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft out of UC Berkeley, Lynch spent nine years in the league. According to NFL.com, he racked up 9,112 rushing yards and scored 74 touchdowns on the ground, and added 1,979 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns through the air over the course of his career.

Lynch’s retirement signals the start of a new era in the NFL, one where more and more players are willing to step away from the game in order to lead fully capable lives in the future. According to CBS.com, all signs point to fellow superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions joining Lynch in retirement. Johnson, who is thirty years old and also in the midst of his prime, is another player who has the unquestionable ability to continue his playing career for many years to come. After 2015’s mass exodus of young, gifted talent, one can clearly see the effects of the concussion issue in the NFL coming to light.

For now, these instances might seem a little less than isolated events, but if the trend continues, then change will undoubtedly be the result. As players grow more weary of the effects of repeated blows to the head and CTE, early retirement will in fact be the result. If only the injury situation were better handled, we might have been in store for more runs of this nature:

Marshawn Lynch no longer has to worry about speaking to the media, but he definitely does have a lot ahead of him. With a young age of 29 and a finished career in football, nobody can guess what’s in store for the running back. More importantly, nobody can guess how his retirement affects the Seahawks and the NFL as a whole. The only thing that’s certain is that Marshawn Lynch will not be returning to the field next season and Calvin Johnson might follow in his footsteps.