Football story of former Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny ended far too soon

For both Rashaad Penny and Seattle Seahawks fans, it might have been better had Penny played more but been worse when he did. The issue with the running back was two-fold. He was a wasted first-round pick who stayed hurt too much, but when he was active, he was often electric. In fact, Penny led the NFL in yards per rush in 2021 though he played in only 10 games.

Had Penny stayed healthy, he likely could have been a top-five back in the league for several years. He was big and fast, and could turn on a dime while defenders bounced off of him. Again, when he did play. He never proved he could stay healthy enough to be counted on.

In his rookie season of 2018, Penny played in 14 games. That would be four more than in any of his other seasons. In three years, he played five games or fewer. In 348 carries, he averaged a very good 5.6 yards a rush and scored 13 touchdowns. 28 of his 199 rushes in 2021 went for first downs while six more went for touchdowns.

Former Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny announces he is retiring

Penny could be great. Between Week 13 of 2021 and Week 4 of 2022, Penny played in nine games, ran for over 100 yards in five of those games, and scored eight touchdowns. Many of those runs were longer than 20 yards. He tantalized with his ability and speed but that only made liking him as a player so much harder.

There have been few Seahawks as frustrating as Penny over the last ten years. He had the skill to be worthy of being a first-round pick, even for a running back, but the unavailability to not even be worth choosing in the draft at all.

He left Seattle last offseason and played - if one can call it that - for the Philadelphia Eagles. Penny only appeared in three games. This offseason, he signed with the Carolina Panthers and joined former Seahawks passing-game coordinator Dave Canales, who is the new head coach for the Panthers. Canales and Penny worked together in Seattle.

This week, however, Penny decided risking himself to further injury was too much of an ask and he told Canales he was retiring. He only played for six years and is only 28 years old. He is a young man with lots of chances to do whatever he wants in life. Good for him.

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