Charles Tillman was hoping the phone would ring. He wanted one more NFL season — a 14th — but it'd have to be with the Carolina Panthers.
Now willing to accept that call isn't coming, Tillman announced his retirement Monday night via a 3-minute, 16-second YouTube video:
Tillman spent his first 12 seasons in Chicago, perfecting the "Peanut Punch" technique that helped him force 44 career fumbles.
After Tillman signed with Carolina in the spring of 2015, Tillman started the Panthers' first nine games last year. A partially torn ACL kept him out four weeks, but he returned for the final three games of the regular season. Tillman missed the playoffs when his ACL tore completely against the Bucs in Week 17.
In his lone season with the Panthers, Tillman started 12 games, forcing a pair of fumbles while adding a pair of interceptions. Most importantly, he was a player-coach for an impressionable cornerback group that included eventual All-Pro Josh Norman.