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When I saw the news earlier today that cornerback Antoine Winfield was going to be released by the Seattle Seahawks, naturally my thoughts turned to him possibly making a return to the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent the last nine seasons and had a very good season in 2012.
Unless there's a sudden change of heart from the man that wore #26 here for all those seasons. . .it's not happening.
BREAKING: Former #Vikings and #Bills CB Antoine Winfield has decided to retire, according to a league source.
— Sean Jensen (@seankjensen) August 31, 2013
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll later confirmed Winfield's decision on Twitter.
If this really is the end for Winfield, then he went out on a pretty good season for our favorite football team. During his nine years with the Vikings, he was one of the toughest pound-for-pound players in the National Football League.
Congratulations to Antoine Winfield on a brilliant National Football League career. I'm guessing that we'll see him back for an induction into the Vikings' Ring of Honor eventually, but that's probably a few years down the track.
What's your favorite Antoine Winfield memory from his time in Minnesota?