Cleveland Browns: Peyton Hillis wishes he would’ve retired in Cleveland

The former Madden cover star, Peyton Hillis wishes he would’ve retired in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Browns found a hidden gem in Peyton Hillis, who went on to have one of the most fantastic seasons in Browns’ history. He had the fourth-most rushing yards for the Browns since 1983 and his 2010 season ranks 15th all-time for the club. He helped popularize leaping over defenders and his highlights made him, not just a star for the Browns but also for the NFL.

He became so popular that he won the first-ever Madden cover selected by the fans. Hillis was a star in the making and was a prototypical running back for the modern era. Too big to tackle, too athletic to corner and too nasty to bring down. He did all that damage, created such a highlight reel, and did it all on his own without a solid set of linemen or a passing game to take the pressure off of him.

What went wrong?

However, a holdout after the season caused a lot of upheaval in the team and with his standing. He only played in 10 games in 2011, starting only nine and rushing for just under 600 yards. His production fell off and rumors came out about his desire to not just play for the Browns but football as a whole. Rumors of him wanting to join the CIA started to sprout up, and more rumors of him having strep throat became the reason why he missed so many games.

To say his tenure in Cleveland ended badly is an understatement. Hillis to his credit copped to that and went on to Bull and the Fox Monday afternoon to talk about how things went at the end of his tenure, expressing regret and also wishing things had ended differently.

"I wish I would’ve retired in Cleveland. I wish that I could’ve played there 10 more years. We loved our time in Cleveland more than anywhere else, even Arkansas. We’d try to find an excuse to go back. I was young and stupid, what can I say."

Hillis’ tenure in Cleveland left many people speechless for two vastly different reasons. One for his balls-to-the-walls style of play, and the other for him being so quick to throw his career away. Hillis’ words do soothe a legacy that was marred with how he exited the club.

Fans will however have to imagine what another eight or nine years would’ve looked like for a player who could do it all and did it all so well.