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Andrew Whitworth capped a stellar NFL career with a Super Bowl championship with the Los Angeles Rams last season and moved from the trenches to the broadcast booth before the 2022 season.
Whitworth was a second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006 and played through the 2021 season, calling it a career at age 40. He finished with four Pro Bowl and two First-Team All-Pro selections to his name, as well as winning the 2021 Walter Payton Award.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Whitworth said he has thought about being enshrined in Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and believed his resume spoke for itself. He said his argument is similar to the one he used when he was snubbed for the NFL’s All-Decade teams. In the All-2010s team, Jason Peters, Tyron Smith, Joe Staley and Joe Thomas were selected as the tackles.
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Andrew Whitworth, #77 of the Los Angeles Rams, holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
"I think it’s something that’s going to come up over the years. You know, five years I think you’re eligible. I look forward to it. I think it’s a great conversation," Whitworth explained. "Obviously, you hear guys – guys who have been here for a long time or guys who are trying to get in – I think their take on who deserves to get in changes drastically over the years. I do think sometimes it gets a little … what’s really the marker for getting into the Hall of Fame? To me, I look at it no different than what I argued for why I thought it was really a disrespectful thing to not make the all-decade team to me. If you look at that list, regardless of what you think of talent, because sometimes I think we talk about offensive line now and the conversation always leads to how talented they were and how many freaky plays they have.
"But if you look at it on that list, if you played in that decade alone, much less I played longer in both decades I’ve played in three of them, in the one decade (from 2010 to 2020), I won the most games, I went to just as many Pro Bowls, I went to a Super Bowl, I played the most snaps, right up there with the least sacks (allowed) if not the least, I was one of the highest graders of all those guys if you want to (look at) statistics of (Pro Football Focus), won the most division championships, I think only one other guy went to the Super Bowl, so I think it’s gone of those things like what do you want to measure it with, which I think it’s always so funny with quarterbacks sometimes, we flip the conversation – whether they’re a winner or whether it’s statistics.
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"I think for me, my argument would be I was the oldest starting left tackle in NFL history, I was the oldest one to win a Super Bowl, to win an NFC championship, which has something to do with being able to sustain your job, and also won the most games of any left tackle in NFL history. I think it’s one of those things, it’s really what you want to go off of. I think my career stands there with any tackle that’s played the game."
Andrew Whitworth, of the Los Angeles Rams, stands up at the podium after the Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in an NFL Super Bowl LVI football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Sunday, February 13, 2022. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Whitworth walked off the field as a champion and agreed to become a part of Amazon’s "Thursday Night Football" crew as an analyst.
"For me, the game of football is something I’m very passionate about. Not just the actual game, but what it’s taught me off the field, on the field, the life lessons I’ve learned from both, the work that goes into it, the relationships that are a part of it and the impact you can have in your community," Whitworth told Fox News Digital. "So, for me, it was like ‘how do I stay close to this game I love so much?’ For me, football was my passion and dream. I think it’s amazing. I’d love to keep talking about it and being involved with it.
Whitworth said he spoke to the Rams about potentially staying in the organization in some way or try to stay in football some other way, like in the broadcast booth. He said he talked to other networks and "got some cool offers," but the Amazon offer fit with his lifestyle.
"It’s really special. It’s one of a kind, and it’s a unique thing from the ground up."
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The former offensive lineman gets his first regular-season shot in the booth when the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Kansas City Chiefs next Thursday night in Week 2 on Amazon Prime.
With the official start to the NFL season only a day away, Whitworth found a new team in Pepsi to help a fan get the ultimate experience when they spend their Sundays watching football on TV.
Whitworth and Pepsi debuted the "Pepsi 18 Week Pack" – a tiny home which will provide the rabid NFL fan everything they need to watch the game. Playing on the tiny home phenomenon, the facility will feature stadium-style seats, a 55-inch 4K TV with a built-in fridge, murphy-style bed, built-in washer and dryer as well as turf carpeting.
"For me being retired, it’s why it resonated so much," Whitworth said of teaming up with Pepsi to unveil the "Pepsi 18 Week Pack." "Obviously, for one, having kids we all know about Pepsi. And two, I’ve already thought through. I remember even before I retired, like where would you watch the first game when you retire. I could remember like, would I want to be on a golf course? Would I want to be playing golf or would I want to be at home with a family? Like, what would I want to be doing the first game where I’m no longer playing Week 1 and I want to enjoy the NFL experience?
"When this concept came up, I was like this is unbelievable. It’s right up my alley. It’s perfect. I’m already thinking through what would be the perfect setup for me to watch an NFL football game."
Whitworth’s former team will start their Super Bowl defense against a potential Super Bowl LVII contender Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
He said for the Rams to repeat as champions is a "heck of a challenge"
Andrew Whitworth attends Launch of Actors & Athletes: Unions for Democracy at Jean-Georges Beverly Hills on July 17, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
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"Everyone’s after you. How healthy can you stay? You got the toughest schedules any time you finish first so you’re not going to have easy games. It’s a challenge every day," he said. "I think they can do it. I think if you look at it, to me, you look at last August and this August – they’re a better football team that they were last August. They just got to stay healthy and execute."