<P> Soon after being released by the Cowboys, the Washington Redskins and Daniel Snyder signed Sanders to a hefty $56 million, 7 - year contract . At the end of the 2000 season and an above - average statistical year, Sanders abruptly retired after only playing one year with the Redskins . </P> <P> In 2004, Sanders announced that he was going to end his retirement, after being lured back to football by Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller, linebacker Ray Lewis and best friend Joe Zorovich . A major reason for doing so was to play with Ray Lewis . He signed a 1 - year deal with the Baltimore Ravens to be a nickelback . Sanders chose to wear the number 37, which matched his age at the time, to preemptively let people know that he was well aware of his relative senior status as an NFL player (additionally, the number 21, used by Sanders throughout his career, was already being worn by Ravens Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister). Against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7 of 2004, Sanders scored his ninth career interception return touchdown, moving him into a tie for second place with Ken Houston and Aeneas Williams, and behind Rod Woodson (with 12) for all - time in the statistical category . </P> <P> In January 2006, after playing two seasons as a corner and safety for Baltimore in which the Ravens did not qualify for the postseason, Sanders once again retired from the NFL and became an analyst for the NFL Network . </P> <P> During his 14 - year NFL career, Sanders was a perennial All - Pro and one of the strongest pass defenders ever to play the game . However, he was also known for being a relatively poor tackler and not much of a factor in run support . </P>

When did deion sanders retire from the nfl