Chris Borland announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday night.
Six days prior, Patrick Willis held a press conference to officially announce he would no longer play professional football.
49ers radio analyst Tim Ryan doesn't believe the two linebackers made the same decision.
"This isn't punitive on Borland, and I love the guy and I want to see him play -- Patrick Willis retired, Chris Borland quit," Ryan declared on KNBR 680-AM Tuesday morning.
Ryan, who played for the Chicago Bears from 1990 to 1993, seemed to go back-and-forth with his emotions throughout the impassioned interview.
"I'm pissed fellas. That's how I'm doing. I am pissed off," Ryan said to open his segment. "Big props to Chris, gotta lot of respect for him. The selfish side of me is pissed that the 49ers are losing another quality player ... Chris was, and still is, fantastic.
"And then the other selfish part of me was inspired watching him play, man. He was fun to watch. At the end of the day I come to the simple conclusion that football is not for everyone man. Period.
"The risk in a lot of people's minds, despite a promising career ahead of you, the risk isn't worth the reward with some guys. You may call that superior intelligence because I would have never made that decision ... I know I got some lesions on my noodle."
Borland, who took over a starting spot after Willis elected for season-ending surgery following the 49ers' Week 6 win in St. Louis, was expected to start alongside NaVorro Bowman in 2015.
[MAIOCCO: Middle of 49ers' defense hinges on Bowman's return]
Despite missing the final two games of the season (high ankle sprain) and making just eight starts, Borland led the 49ers with 107 tackles.
The third round pick made the NFL All-Rookie Team.
"I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland explained to ESPN's 'Outside the Lines.' "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk.
"I feel largely the same, as sharp as I've ever been, for me it's wanting to be proactive. I'm concerned that if you wait till you have symptoms, it's too late. ... There are a lot of unknowns. I can't claim that X will happen. I just want to live a long healthy life, and I don't want to have any neurological diseases or die younger than I would otherwise."
Willis, who made seven Pro Bowls and was named First-Team All-Pro five times in eight seasons, also elected to retire because of physical reasons. But not because of concerns over head trauma.
“It’s my health first and everything else kind of makes sense around it,” Willis explained last week. “When the Lord has something for you, He’s going to make sure it goes done.
"And my feet, as much as I want to go out and play with NaVorro (Bowman) and as much I want to play with Chris (Borland) and be on the field wreaking havoc and bringing (Super Bowl) No. 6 back here, I have to be honest.”
A source told CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco that Borland was so beat up physically after his rookie season that at least one person close to him thought he would seriously consider retirement due to his overall physical health.
Multiple sources told Maiocco that some NFL teams removed Borland from their draft boards due to concerns of a shortened NFL career because of chronic problems with both shoulders.
During his four-year college career, Borland underwent two surgeries on his left shoulder and one on his right shoulder.
He sustained one concussion while playing soccer in eighth grade, and another in his sophomore year at Wisconsin. Now, at the age of 24, Borland is moving on to the next chapter of his life.
"The guy was all ball, all the time," Ryan said. "More power to him, man. Smart guy. He's gonna have a great life. I just hope there are no regrets."
