Kenny Vaccaro Retires from NFL

Kenny Vaccaro, former 15th overall pick from 2013 for the Saints, hangs up his cleats and turns to his passion for gaming.

The Saints got a good one in Kenny Vaccaro with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and he went on to play five seasons with the black and gold. He was something special immediately, as his first game in front of the Superdome crowd resulted in preserving a win over the Falcons when he broke up a Matt Ryan pass to Tony Gonzalez that was picked off by Roman Harper. 

Vaccaro certainly saw a lot in his time with the Saints, riding through the 2013 whirlwind as a rookie, handling the three straight 7-9 seasons, and eventually finding success in 2017. In free agency that offseason, Vaccaro ended up signing a four-year, $26 million contract with the Titans in the offseason, playing three seasons for Tennessee from 2018-2020.

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Vaccaro has retired from the NFL, as announced on Wednesday, and is a co-founder of a new esports organization, G1 (also known as Gamers First). Gaming is a passion of his, and has become increasingly popular through the years.

Vaccaro said in a statement, "This isn't a reflex decision for me; it's something I've thought about for a long time."

"I've been a gamer for ever longer than I've played football, and I've always thought of myself as a gamer first. So this is the realization of a long-term dream for me. And while football has been how many have defined me, G1 is evidence for other athletes as well that life doesn't end just because you put down the helmet. You can reinvent yourself."


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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net