Joejuan Williams has officially retired from the NFL.The former New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings cornerback shared a length statement on social media announcing his decision to hang up his cleats.Williams has decided to end his NFL career at 28GettyFormer Patriots and Bears cornerback Joejuan Williams retires from the NFL“At 5 years old I said ill be in the NFL. You accomplished your dream J. Now it’s time to help others accomplish theirs,” posted on Instagram.“Thank You God for blessing me with this ability. And thank you football for changing my life forever.“I came from nothing. This game transformed my life, gave me purpose, discipline, memories, relationships, and experiences I’ll carry forever.“Thank you to every Coach that worked with me, Every teammate I shared the field with, And the support from my family, friends and fans.“Now the same dream I once chased and accomplished… It’s time to impact the game by helping others accomplish theirs.“Excited for this next chapter Forever grateful for the journey ”.The 28-year-old was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and later committed to Vanderbilt University where he played college football.Williams was eventually drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft (No. 45) after the Pats traded up 11 spots, giving up their 56th and 101st overall picks to the Los Angeles Rams, in order to get him.Williams signed a four-year deal worth $6.6 million with New England. Two years and $4.1 million of his deal were guaranteed, and he made headlines at the time for deciding to save 90 percent of it.He bounced around the NFC after leaving New England in 2022GettyJoejuan also played for the Bears, Vikings and SaintsGettyWilliams followed financial precedent set by Rob Gronkowski“I’m going to sacrifice now for me to be happy later,” Williams told the Boston Globe in 2019.“I can go buy me a really nice car, I can go buy me a really nice house if I wanted to, I can go buy me a really nice chain — multiple chains — if I wanted to. But that’s not going to suffice me for when I’m 40, 50, or 60 (years old). Who knows when I’m going to need that bread.”“In the history of this league, there’s a higher chance that you’ll never see a second contract,” Williams said.It was an approach like that of New England great Rob Gronkowski, who recently revealed an investment from NBA legend Kobe Bryant landed him a share of $5.6bn.Gronk has said on numerous occasions that he hasn’t ‘touched one dime’ of his NFL salary, instead only spending the money that came from his endorsement deals.“If you’re spending so much money, like, ‘Oh, I’m going to make it back next year. I’m going to make it back the year after that.’ If it doesn’t happen, then you’re back at square zero,” Williams added.“I want to be set in the future when I’m not working,“ he said. “Grind now, sacrifice now, be happy later. I’d rather live like a prince for the rest of my life than live like a king for my NFL career and then go back to square zero.”Gronk has previusly opened up on his frugal NFL fortuneGettyNFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?Williams was arrested in a traffic stop in Tennessee after his rookie season.Officers reportedly stopped him for speeding and found he had a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia and prescription drugs without a prescription, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.He played in just 27 games across the next two seasons and was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a shoulder injury ahead of the 2022 season.Williams wasn’t re-signed after his rookie season and had brief stints with the Bears, Vikings, and Saints, playing in just six more NFL games before calling time on his career.Number of NFL retirements announced in recent daysIt comes after a wave of surprising NFL retirements in recent days.One 23-year-old Dolphins rookie decided to step away from the sport, costing the team thousands.A Bears rookie faster than Tyreek Hill also ended his NFL career after just 16 days in the league.Elsewhere, a former Vikings and Seahawks quarterback has announced his retirement at 28 after being ‘humbled’.Stay up to date with the NFL across all our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.