“We’re all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children’s game, we just don’t…we don’t know when that’s gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we’re all told.”

That famous quote is from the movie Moneyball and applies to several of the biggest names in the NFL over the last decade or more.

Some players may not be forced out and may decide to retire on their own while others will want to continue but will hear silence when listening for the phone to ring by a NFL team looking to bring them aboard next year.

Below is a list of five Pro-Bowl players who may elect or be forced to leave the game when the 2015 season ends.

Peyton Manning – In the late 1980’s, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the decade and were aided by an aging legend in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Toward the end of his career, the seven-footer would opt to remain on one side of the floor if the moment felt right (old age) to catch his breath and keep his legs fresh.

Peyton Manning is following in those footsteps. Another sports legend, Manning is being limited during camp with practice reps which is par for the course considering his longevity in the league.

Entering his 18^th season, Manning plays and applies himself to perform at the absolute highest level achievable. It is conceivable that Manning call it quits after this season if the Broncos slip to mediocrity or his body deteriorates.

Manning is in the unique position of still being considered one of the best in the game and he alone will dictate his future.

We’ll likely have a good idea in a few months whether he call it quits in 2016?

Chris Johnson – Only seven players in the history of the league (including Johnson) have rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a single-season. Last season was his first since entering the league (2008) that he failed to reach 1,000 yards rushing in a single-season.

Johnson arrived in New York in 2014 after signing a two-year contract with the Jets.  After a sub-par campaign which saw him benched, he was released after the season ended and up to this point remains unemployed.

The artist formerly known as CJ2K has reportedly been offered a contract by the Arizona Cardinals and could become the veteran identity in a young backfield.

His lack of interest up to this point begins to melt the thin ice that he is walking on in his football life.

The perception that running backs can be plucked off the street hampers Johnson’s long term value, considering the hearty contract he’ll require to sign considering his past production.

The addition of Johnson is a knock on the incumbent pair of young running backs on the roster. Andre Ellington enters third-year and his average yards per carry dropped over two full yards between his rookie season (5.5) and last year (3.3)

Rookie David Johnson has been limited with a hamstring injury causing Arizona to look to reinforce depth.

If David Johnson and Ellington begin to thrive, it is possible Chris Johnson will be looking for work somewhere else in 2016.

Will the phone ring at all?

Jared Allen – Entering his 12^th year in the NFL, no one brings more entertainment and old-school mentality like Allen. Charismatic and immensely talented will be the trademarks of his game when he no longer plays in the NFL.

Allen arrived last year in Chicago for his first season with the Bears after four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

His first season with the Bears was less than memorable and the beginning of the end had begun to appear with Allen not playing to the level that has made him the NFL’s active sack leader (134.0) and ninth all-time on the prestigious list.

With a heavy salary, it is possible the Bears dump Allen before next season. He has $16.5 million left on the two remaining years of his contract. Turning 33 years old and moving to outside linebacker are the calling cards on a career winding down.

Jake Long – The first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Long was the staple of consistency at the left tackle position during his early career with the Miami Dolphins.

Long’s 61-game starting streak ended in 2011 when he was unable to suit-up with back problems. That began the downward spiral of injuries robbing Long of his devastatingly physical dominance on the left side of the offensive line.

Currently, Long is unsigned and has had some flirtation with the Denver Broncos earlier this summer but a contract never materialized. It’s very possible that he’ll never play again but plenty of current camp bodies will go down in the coming weeks increasing the chances Long will eventually receive some interest with a new team.

It is August and he is unemployed as a left tackle in the NFL.

It is possible Long doesn’t even get a chance this season, but it’s more likely that in the end he’ll be signed at one point before the ball drops in New York City on January 1^st, 2016.

Charles Woodson –Charles Woodson is a living legend of the game that goes relatively unnoticed in comparison to some of names that garner much more attention.

Woodson enters his 18^th season and his production and longevity match that of Peyton Manning, the guy he finished ahead of in the 1997 Heisman Trophy voting.

Both entered the league in 1998 and both share the similarities of exceeding draft expectations and delivering careers worthy of a trip to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Again, like Manning, Woodson does not appear to be slowing all that much and he is in the unique position to call it quits on his own terms.