Getty Ex-Bears offensive lineman Tom Thayer had some thoughts on the retirement of Eddie Goldman.
Former Chicago Bears offensive lineman and current team analyst Tom Thayer had some strong thoughts about the retirement of Eddie Goldman.
Goldman, who spent six seasons as the starting nose tackle for the Bears before being released this offseason, had signed with the Atlanta Falcons before deciding to retire just 13 days later.
Thayer, who started 120 games at right guard for Chicago from 1985–1992, was a part of the team’s only Super Bowl-winning squad in 1985. He has been working in the media in some form since his retirement after the 1993 season, and he has been the color commentator for Bears radio broadcasts alongside play-by-play man Jeff Joniak since 2005.
Thayer was a guest on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show on July 20, and when he was asked about Goldman, he did not hold back.
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Goldman’s Numbers Went Downhill in Recent Years
Goldman started off as a solid defender for the Bears in the middle. In his first 52 games with Chicago, from 2015-2018, Goldman amassed 18 QB hits, 15 tackles-for-loss and 11.5 sacks (stats via Pro Football Reference).
He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, and his numbers noticeably dropped when he returned to action in 2021. Last season, Goldman appeared in 14 games and started 10, finishing with one QB hit, a lone tackle-for-loss and 0.5 sacks.
When asked if he was surprised to hear about Goldman’s retirement, Thayer was blunt. “No, he retired three years ago,” said Thayer. “He was just lucky enough to get paid.”
The Bears inked Goldman to a four-year, $42 million extension in 2018, with $25 million guaranteed. Thayer went on to say Goldman may have been extended too early, which was a mistake by ex-general manager Ryan Pace.
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Thayer on Goldman: ‘He Retired 3 Years Ago’
Prior to the 2021 season, there were rumors Goldman was considering retirement, and Thayer had some strong comments on the wishy-washy nature of the NT’s return in 2021:
I’ve been around a lot of players that have one or two great plays in them, but to have that desire to be great for 60 plays a game or the entirety of a training camp, or showing up when you feel less than 100%, being a complement to the rest of the teammates around you — I really thought that Ryan Pace went out and drafted Eddie Goldman because there was an assumption that he was going to be able to come in here and provide a little spark. Then, he gave him an extension probably a little bit too early in his career. Sat out the pandemic year and then was a question mark. Remember the conversation last year that they couldn’t get him on the phone? He was telling them that he was working out in California, but no one ever saw anything and then when he came back to practice, he was injured immediately.
Goldman was inactive for the first three weeks of the 2021 season, and he didn’t look like the same player as the year progressed. He only played 50% or more of the Bears’ defensive snaps once.
“He was not going to be a guy that was going to take the Bears to the next level. He had no desire, really, to play, and that was evident upon retirement,” Thayer added.
Goldman is 28 years old, and he played in 81 NFL games over the six years he was active.
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