Jon Runyan for Congress

In what is said to be his last year in the NFL San Diego Chargers offensive lineman Jon Runyan will leave the gridiron after this season is over and give politics a shot. Runyan will be running for the congress position in the state of New Jersey that was previously held by Republican Jim Saxton for more than 20 years until he retired.

The seat is currently filled by John Adler a Democrat from the 3rd district of New Jersey who won the seat because of the great job he did as a Senator. Now things have change and Adler is under a lot of heat because the district, which is mainly Republican supporters want to put another Republican back in the seat.

So far Runyan has not voiced whether he would run as a Republican or Democrat, but he has given clues that he will give Adler a good challenge and feels the 3rd District would support him greatly. Given the fact that Runyan was once referred too as the dirtiest player in the NFL and his celebrity status, if he runs as a Republican Adler time in congress could be very short.

Runyan was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the 4th round of the 1996 draft out of the University of Michigan. He played with the Oilers for one year before the team relocated to Tennessee and became the Titans. After spending 3 years in Tennessee he sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000 and remained a starter for 8 years until he needed to have microfracture surgery on his right knee. When the 2008 season was over he was let go and remained a free agent until he signed with the chargers on November 24, 2009.

For now Runyan will focus on his last NFL season with the Chargers in hopes of making it to the play-offs. If Runyan does retire at the end of the season he will have had a remarkable 13-year career that including a trip to the 2002 Pro Bowl.