Making his prediction. Eric Decker spent eight years in the NFL as a star wide receiver, but announced his retirement in August 2018. Now that he’s out of the league, he has time to sit back, relax and enjoy the sport as a fan. As for Super Bowl LIII, however, he isn’t sure who will reign victorious.
“I don’t know [who will win],” Decker, 31, tells Us Weekly exclusively. “I just want a good game, you know? A good, close game, kinda like what the championship games were like a couple weeks ago.”
While the former professional athlete isn’t willing to choose between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams — the teams that will be competing for the national title on Sunday, February 3, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — he does have a personal connection to one of the teams.
“I feel like I’m more invested with New England, being there for a little bit,” he admits. “You get to know the guys and just be there in the locker room … I’m kinda pulling for them. But ultimately, [I want] just a fun game.”
Decker signed a one-year contract with the Patriots in early August 2018 after spending for season with the Denver Broncos and three with the New York Jets. He retired less than a month after joining the New England team, but tells Us that he doesn’t regret his choice whatsoever.
“I’ll admit that I’ll watch some games on Sundays and be like, ‘Man, it’d be so fun to be out there,’ but then I think about … how much of a grind it is and the physical toll it takes on you — and just the mental toll too,” he explains. “I definitely made the right decision.”
Now that he no longer has to travel every week for football games, Decker has more time to spend with his wife, Jessie James Decker, and their three children: Vivianne, 4, Eric Jr., 3, and Forrest, 10 months.
He tells Us: “[Jessie] appreciates and loves that I’m home more. … It has been nice for me personally because, like I said, I get to do some of the things [with the kids] I usually wouldn’t do during football season — the things I’ll cherish.”
