Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett (88) talks with the media after Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime tight end Martellus Bennett shared on Instagram in October that he was “pretty sure” he would retire from the NFL after the 2017 season, and it seems he made that official on Friday night.

Bennett, 31, tweeted that he’s “decided to move on from the world of football and into the fantastical and wondrous world of creativity.”

This obviously isn’t a surprise after Bennett’s comments in October, but it wouldn’t have been very surprising without those comments either.

Bennett — the brother of Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett — has long made it clear that he’s not a football junkie and it’s just something he happened to be good at. He even said on the topic of football and CTE in August, “I ain’t dying for this shit.” I remember one interview with Bennett during his years with the Chicago Bears (2013-2015) and they brought up watching other sporting events. Bennett’s response: “I watch cartoons.”

He went more in-depth about his feelings on football in an Instagram post on Friday night:

I’ve decided to move on from the world of football and into the fantastical and wondrous world of creativity. To be honest I was never really a football player I’ve always just been a creative guy who played football. I’ve loved some parts of the game but never everything about it. The game of football has been a huge part of my journey but it has never been my final destination. Nor has it been my life’s work. I always knew that this roller coaster ride would end I’ve enjoyed every up and down twist and turn, as well as every scream and shout. It was fun, scary, exciting, painful, frustrating and I’ve had the joy of being on this rollercoaster a lot longer than most. But it’s time to get off of it and ride another ride at MartyLand as I begin my life’s work of creativity something that I love every single part of. I would like to thank all of my teammates that have listened to my crazy ass ideas in the sauna, cold tubs, hot tubs, planes, buses, lunch table, dinner table, breakfast table, training rooms, in between meetings, before meetings, after meetings, before & after practice, during special teams periods at practice lol, at your houses, at my house, the bathroom, equipment room, my art studio. I’d like to thank the coaches who found ways for me to be creative at work because they knew I needed that balance. I appreciate you all. I will keep my end of the bargain and give you guys a discount when I open up my first theme park you and your families will always be welcomed at everything created at Martellus Bennett’s Imagination Agency. @theimaginationagency

A post shared by Martellus Bennett (@martellusb) on

I’ve decided to move on from the world of football and into the fantastical and wondrous world of creativity. To be honest I was never really a football player I’ve always just been a creative guy who played football. I’ve loved some parts of the game but never everything about it. The game of football has been a huge part of my journey but it has never been my final destination. Nor has it been my life’s work. I always knew that this roller coaster ride would end I’ve enjoyed every up and down twist and turn, as well as every scream and shout. It was fun, scary, exciting, painful, frustrating and I’ve had the joy of being on this rollercoaster a lot longer than most. But it’s time to get off of it and ride another ride at MartyLand as I begin my life’s work of creativity something that I love every single part of. I would like to thank all of my teammates that have listened to my crazy ass ideas in the sauna, cold tubs, hot tubs, planes, buses, lunch table, dinner table, breakfast table, training rooms, in between meetings, before meetings, after meetings, before & after practice, during special teams periods at practice lol, at your houses, at my house, the bathroom, equipment room, my art studio. I’d like to thank the coaches who found ways for me to be creative at work because they knew I needed that balance. I appreciate you all. I will keep my end of the bargain and give you guys a discount when I open up my first theme park you and your families will always be welcomed at everything created at Martellus Bennett’s Imagination Agency. @theimaginationagency

And that’s awesome! Despite what some of the tough-guy, old-school football people think, not everyone has to be totally in love with the game and can still carve out a very nice career.

That’s exactly what Bennett did. Bennett had a productive NFL career over 10 years with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots. He really started to shine as a pass-catcher beginning in 2012 with the Giants, and had 90 receptions for 916 yards and six touchdowns during a Pro Bowl season with the Bears in 2014. He also won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2016.

But Bennett is most passionate about art and animation, and that became clear with his very cool creation of The Imagination Agency. Best of luck to him with The Imagination Agency and his post-NFL life.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.