Wilfork Chooses Grilling over Gridiron

The life of a professional athlete has its perks, but it's still got a tough regimen.

• Hours upon hours of training.
• Strict diet control.
• Extensive mental preparation, thanks to data-driven reports and analyses.

Plus, there are the countless droves of randos on the radio and social media, scrutinizing their daily performance.

If it wasn’t for the pay and fame, the job wouldn’t be worth it.

But not everybody who plays a sport at the professional level has to have the body of a Greek God.

Case in point: Defensive lineman Vince Wilfork.

Dude's never been the most cut man on the football field. But don't let that body fool you; he's dedicated to being the best he can be.

His fans surely appreciated it.

He also worked hard at football.

At 325 pounds -- a sufficient amount of which is powerful muscle -- Wilfork was never afraid to throw his weight around on the field.

Plus, he was never afraid to strut his stuff off the field, too. 

But after 13 years and over 350 tackles, the former Patriot and Texan has decided to hang up the cleats.

As one of the game's marquee big men, what better way to for Wilfork to call it a career than over a good ol' fashinoned BBQ?

In his retirement announcement -- aka Kingsford Charcoal endorsement -- he declared he was moving from smoking ball carriers to smoking meats.

The game's gonna miss one its most entertaining players.

Whether it's helping the Pats win titles in New England or rocking a cowboy hat and overalls in the Texas heat;

Wilfork will leave fans across the league with fond memories.

He’ll also be leaving behind a huge pair of overalls.