Looking Back At The Career of Donald Driver

While it was clear that 2012 would be the final season for WR Donald Driver as a member of the Green Bay Packers, it wasn't know what his future plans were. It looks like he's decided on retirement.

New Insiders blog:Report: Driver likely to retire dlvr.it/2rKFqn #Packers
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 24, 2013

The report is a little vague, but I don't think anyone expected him to return to the Packers, so his retirement isn't a surprise. I was glad to see him return after the 2011 season, though he was no better than their No. 4 receiver, because he was still productive (see chart below). However, in 2012, he fell even further and finished behind WR Jarrett Boykin and WR Jeremy Ross on the depth chart.

Here are his career stats and rankings from Football Outsiders:

Year/Season	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns	DVOA	Rank
2012	8	77	2	-1.4%	n/a
2011	37	445	6	17.1%	16
2010	51	565	4	-7.8%	68
2009	70	1061	6	13.3%	19
2008	74	1012	5	8.5%	25
2007	82	1048	2	9.3%	27
2006	92	1295	8	-4.4%	55
2005	86	1221	5	25.6%	3
2004	84	1208	9	12.0%	28
2003	52	621	2	5.6%	35
2002	70	1064	9	21.9%	8
2001	13	167	1	18.0%	n/a
2000	21	322	1	-4.3%	47
1999	3	31	1	n/a	n/a

There are a couple seasons when he wasn't targeted enough to merit a ranking by Football Outsiders, including his first and likely last seasons.

The Packers were reluctant to start Driver at first. He couldn't get ahead of WR Antonio Freeman and WR Bill Schroeder, which became especially frustrating in 2001 when Freeman and Schroeder showed how limited they were while Driver languished on the bench. Finally, Schroeder left in free agency (one of Matt Millen's genius moves), and Driver became the starter in 2002.

Looking back, he only had two exceptional seasons (2002 and 2005) despite the fact he was always a lock for 1000 yards. Part of the problem was that he was thrown the ball so often and drew so much coverage. His 2006 season, in particular, is noteworthy because he set his career high with 92 receptions and recorded one of his lowest grades from Football Outsiders. The Packers had no other receivers who could get open. While WR Greg Jennings showed promise as a rookie, a hamstring injury left him nearly useless by the end of 2006.

He's had an amazing and long career after beginning as a lowly 7th round draft choice out of Alcorn State. I hope his departure from football is amicable and he's looking forward to the next chapter in his life.