The San Diego Chargers announced Sunday that running back LaDainian Tomlinson will re-sign with the team and then announce his retirement from the NFL during a Monday news conference.  Read more after the jump.
A first-round pick (No. 5 overall) out of TCU by the Chargers in the 2001 NFL Draft, Tomlinson started 141 games over nine seasons for the Chargers, rushing for 12,490 yards with 138 touchdowns and adding 530 receptions for 3,955 yards and 15 touchdowns out of the backfield. A five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro, Tomlinson is the Chargers’ all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, ranks second in scoring (918 points) and is fifth on their all-time receptions list and 10th in receiving yards.Last month, Tomlinson told Sports Illustrated’s Jim Trotter that he was “95 percent” retired, and it only makes sense that the soon-to-be 33-year-old makes it official with the Chargers.
Tomlinson signed with the New York Jets as a free agent in 2010. In two seasons with the Jets, Tomlinson gained 1,194 yards and scored seven touchdowns on the ground, including a team-high 914 yards in 2010, with 94 receptions for 817 yards and two touchdowns out of the backfield.
Tomlinson twice led the NFL in rushing (2006, 2007) and and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2006. With 13,684 rushing yards in his career, Tomlinson currently ranks fifth on the all-time list, behind Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin. Tomlinson soon will join those backs in Canton, Ohio, as the clock for his Hall of Fame eligibility now will start its countdown.
