Packers wide receiver Donald Driver to announce his retirement

Donald Driver will play his entire NFL career with the Green Bay Packers as the team announced on Thursday that the veteran wide receiver will announce his retirement in a public ceremony at the Lambeau Field Atrium on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

“I played my entire career in Green Bay and have always enjoyed a special bond with the fans," said Driver. "I can think of no better way to retire than to celebrate with them and the Packers organization."

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Driver grew up in Houston and spent of his childhood homeless, using a U-Haul trailer as shelter. Driver played his college ball at Alcorn State before he was selected by the Packers in the seventh-round of the 1999 NFL draft.

Driver spent three seasons in a reserve role before developing into one of the top receivers in the league. In 2002, his first full season as a starter, Driver earned Pro Bowl honors after catching 70 passes for 1,064 yards and nine touchdowns. From 2002 through 2009, Driver was one of the most consistently productive receiver in the league, catching 610 passes for 8,530 yards with 46 touchdowns.

Over the last two seasons, Driver's production and role within the Packers' offense has decreased dramatically. After catching 51 passes in 2010, Driver had 37 receptions for 445 yards and six touchdowns in 2011. In order to remain with the team, Driver took a substantial pay cut last offseason. Driver started one of the 13 games he was active in 2012 and caught eight passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns while playing in 13.6 percent of the team's offensive snaps.

Driver was scheduled to be an unrestricted in March.

During his 14-year career, Driver was named to four Pro Bowl teams, the latest coming following the 2010 season. The 6-foot, 194-pound Driver will retire as the Packers' all-time leader in receptions (743) and receiving yards (10,137) and is third in franchise history with 61 receiving touchdowns.

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