Ricky Williams retires... again

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ricky Williams is retiring from the NFL.

Again. This time, however, it appears to be for good.

The 34-year-old Williams told the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday he won't be back to fulfill the second year of a contract he signed in August. Playing as a backup to Ray Rice this year, Williams ran for 444 yards and scored two touchdowns.

He also became the 26th player in NFL history to reach 10,000 yards rushing, reaching the plateau in the season finale at Cincinnati.

"The NFL has been an amazing page in this chapter of my life," Williams said. "I pray that all successive adventures offer me the same potential for growth, success and most importantly, fun. ... As for what's next, I am excited about all the opportunities ahead - continuing my education, running The Ricky Williams Foundation and whatever other opportunities present themselves."

Williams retired previously before the 2004 season when facing a four-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy. He returned in 2005, then left to spend the 2006 season with Toronto of the Canadian Football League.

After an outstanding college career at Texas, where he won the Heisman Trophy, Williams broke into the NFL in 1999 with the New Orleans Saints. Mike Ditka, then coach of the Saints, traded all the team's first- and third-round picks in 2000 to pick Williams fifth overall.

Williams spent three years with New Orleans and over 11 years in the league had five 1,000-yard rushing seasons and finished with 10,009 yards on the ground.

Williams' last start was in 2009, but he enjoyed coming off the bench for the Ravens.

"It's been interesting," he said in November. "It's been an adjustment for me, but I love the organization and I love my teammates so I'm having a good time."

Williams scored 73 touchdowns over his career, all but eight of them on the ground.

Williams fit in well with the Ravens and made a lasting impression on Rice, who led the NFL this season with 2,068 yards from scrimmage.

"I was a big fan of Ricky before we were teammates, but being around him this year is the best thing that happened to me in my NFL career," Rice said. "As a young player, you need to be around a guy who knows what he is doing, and Ricky was tremendous to learn from. The way he took care of his body and the way he prepared, he always showed that he is a true professional. This past season with him is a year I will never forget.

"I had the best year with him beside me, and that was no accident. I believe that Ricky Williams is a Hall of Famer. All that he has done in his career, he deserves that."

Notes

Buffalo: The Bills re-signed kicker Rian Lindell. And another familiar face returns to Buffalo after the hiring of former star Pete Metzelaars as tight ends coach.

Lindell was re-signed before he was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month. He returns for a 10th season in Buffalo, where he is the team's second leading scorer with 878 career points.

Metzelaars joins the Bills after spending the previous eight seasons as an assistant with the Indianapolis Colts. As a player, Metzelaars spent 10 of his 16 NFL seasons with the Bills, during which he set team records for tight ends with 302 catches, 2,921 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Chicago: The Bears hired Jeremy Bates as their quarterbacks coach, reuniting him with Jay Cutler.

Bates was out of the league last season, but he worked well with Cutler as an assistant for three years in Denver. In Chicago, he will serve under new offensive coordinator Mike Tice.

New York Giants: New York tight end Jake Ballard tore his left anterior cruciate ligament during the second half of the Super Bowl, the team announced on Tuesday.

An MRI discovered Ballard's injury, and with the help of crutches, he was able to participate in Tuesday's parade and ceremonies in New York and New Jersey.

Ballard, an undrafted free agent, had 38 catches for 604 yards and four touchdowns this regular season. In the four playoff games, he had five catches for 43 yards. He had two receptions in the Giants' 21-17 win over New England on Sunday in Indianapolis.

Pittsburgh: The Steelers named Todd Haley their new offensive coordinator.

Haley, 45, will replace Bruce Arians, now with the Indianapolis Colts, and will inherit an offense that scored 325 points last season en route to finishing 12-4.

He spent 10 seasons as an assistant before being hired by Kansas City. He was offensive coordinator for Arizona in 2007-08, helping lead the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance.