Sidney Rice is doing the smart thing.
The 27-year-old wide receiver, who played his last three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks but has had three of his last four campaigns derailed by injuries, is retiring from the National Football League.
In the words of Mickey, Brad Pitt's character from Snatch, he's getting out while he's still got the legs to carry him.
"I was just thinking about things I've been through in the last few years," Rice said on Wednesday. "I've hit the ground a number of times. I have quite a few injuries. It's something I've always battled through and came back from. But I just figure at this point I have the rest of my life ahead of me and I want to be able to function and do things later down the road."
Rice only played in eight games for the Seahawks last season, missing the second half of the year and all of the postseason, including the Super Bowl (which Seattle won).
He also only had 15 receptions for a total of 231 yards and a paltry three touchdowns.
The year before, in 2012, Rice had 50 receptions for 748 yards in 16 games played, to go with seven touchdowns in quarterback Russell Wilson's first year in the league.
Rice's best season came with the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre in 2009, when he had 1,312 receiving yards on 83 receptions and eight touchdowns.
According to Seahawks.com, where Rice announced his decision, the receiver has become a businessman in Washington state. He opened up a Wingstop in Tacoma last season, and plans to open four more in Renton Landing, King County, Rainier Valley, and a not-yet-announced location.
"I'm sort of a job creator right now," Rice told the website. "What got me into the wings? It's my favorite food. In Minnesota there was no Wingstop. So me and Adrian Peterson, every time we'd have an away game, we'd hop in the car and try to find a Wingstop. So we always talked about opening one."
VIDEO: Sidney Rice Highlights from 2012 Season