Report: Former Steelers RB Mendenhall is retiring

At the age of 26, Rashard Mendenhall has decided to retire. (USATSI)

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After spending the first five years of his career with the Steelers, running back Rashard Mendenhall signed with the Cardinals before the 2013 season and played decently enough, gaining a team-high 687 rushing yards and scoring eight touchdowns.

But he penned a piece for the Huffington Post last month in which he not-so-cryptically wrote, "As I write this, today is the day that the journey is over and I am fully at peace. Eagerly looking to a new way, which lies ahead."

As such, Mendenhall, who CBSSports.com ranked No. 139 on this offseason's free agent list, is telling teams that he's retired, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter.

Mendenhall was most effective during his second and third seasons in the league, gaining 1,109 yards in 2009 and 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2010 for Pittsburgh. But a few months before his 27th birthday, Mendenhall apparently has decided he's had enough.

And now, he's off to the rest of his life.

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Vick and Peterson in the Vikings backfield?



Apparently, the Vikings franchise player has made it known who he'd like to have handing him the ball in 2014. Running back Adrian Peterson tweeted on Thursday that he thinks QB Michael Vick could be the key to Minnesota getting back to the playoffs. Vick started six games for Philadelphia in 2013, injured his hamstring, then stood on the sideline the rest of the year, holding a clipboard, while Nick Foles put up impressive numbers in his 10 starts and led the Eagles to the playoffs.



While it's still very possible that the Eagles re-sign Vick when free agency opens this month, he won't figure to be in the picture as the starting QB in Philly. If Vick thinks that he has a better shot at starting in Minnesota, it's not entirely ridiculous to think he may consider that option. The Vikings had three quarterbacks on their roster at the end of the year in Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, and Josh Freeman. Cassel and Freeman became free agents when the season ended and it's obvious the Vikings didn't have a ton of confidence in Ponder.The Minnesota brass has stated that they consider all facets of how a player will affect their team, including the impact to the team's culture, before pursuing anyone in free agency. However, I'm sure they're also mindful of what message Peterson is sending with his simple tweet. Peterson's vote of confidence for Vick may be more of an indication to Vikings management that he isn't really in the mood to continue "developing a QB". He wants to win and he wants to win now. He thinks Vick gives them a chance to do that. Even if the Vikings don't pursue Vick, they'd better be mindful of Peterson's message. The last thing any team wants is their face of the franchise being disgruntled.The signing of Vick would obviously make Peterson happy. In addition, it would probably be good for young WR Cordarrelle Patterson to have a veteran QB throwing him the ball for an entire season. Vick would definitely be an upgrade over anything the Vikings had going for them in 2013.