We’ve come to see the retirements of professional athletes for what they often are: emotionally-driven decisions annulled as flippantly as Las Vegas marriages.  
Michael Jordan did it three times before finally giving up, and fellow basketball great Magic Johnson did it twice.
 Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, as we know, has made retirement a yearly ritual.  
So perhaps we have not seen the last of Kurt Warner, who announced last week he is retiring from the National Football League (NFL).  
There are those who think Warner, even at age 38, could play another year. It's conceivable he'll return as a backup, a coach, or both.  
But we've likely seen the last of the Warner we once knew – the guy who was once arguably the NFL’s best passer and one of its best offensive players.
Though he put up exceptional numbers in 2008 and nearly won a Super Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals, Warner’s best playing days are nearly a decade behind him.  
He reached his apex in 2001, when he threw for 4,830 yards, had a 101.4 passer rating and won his second of two MVP awards with the St. Louis Rams.
Hobbled by injuries in 2002, he lost his starting spot early the following season, then moved to the New York Giants in 2004.  
He was unspectacular in the Big Apple and lost his starting spot to up-and-comer Eli Manning after nine games.
In 2005 he joined the hapless Cardinals and started sporadically before losing the job to Matt Leinart, a college standout seen as the Cards’ quarterback of the future.
Warner had a solid 2009-10 season, throwing for 379 yards in a postseason win over the Green Bay Packers Jan. 10. But he was relatively subdued in what may have been his final game, a 45-14 playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.  
That he’s made it this far is, of course, extraordinary. His rise from stocking grocery store shelves to one of the better statistical performers in NFL history is the stuff of legend.  
His numbers are likely enough to land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite the fact his NFL career began when he was 28 years old.  
Warner has a better career completion percentage, yards per pass attempt rating and yards per game tally than all 14 quarterbacks who've entered the hall in the last 25 years, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The AP reported last week Warner might consider broadcasting as a second career but also wants to watch his children grow up.
 It’s difficult to see him returning next year as a starter, and though many teams might consider him as a second- or third-stringer, Warner likely has better things to do with his time.
He'd be forgiven for thinking he’s got another season in him, but he'd be wise to walk away from the game.
There’s something to be said about going out on a high note, particularly if going out on top is no longer possible.
 You’ve done that, Kurt. Best to leave it there.