DeMarcus Ware will not play against the Oakland Raiders in the Denver Broncos' final game of the season on Sunday.
The Broncos are placing him on the injured reserve with a back injury that's limited him this season, the team said Wednesday.
It's fair to wonder if this marks the end of Ware's time in Denver. Ware is 34 years old. He's in his 12th NFL season, and his contract will expire at the end of the year.
Ware signed a three-year deal with Denver in 2014. He's been productive with the Broncos, but his production and playing time has waned each season.
- 2014 — 10 sacks, appeared in 16 games, played 68.24 percent of all snaps
- 2015 — 7.5 sacks, appeared in 10 games, played 36.41 percent of all snaps
- 2016 — 4 sacks, appeared in 8 games, played 28.98 percent of all snaps
Ware is one of the best pass rushers of all time. He has the eighth-most career sacks of all time with 138.5 — 117 of which were amassed in nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
"DeMarcus' back is bothering him," head coach Gary Kubiak said. "We'll have him looked at right here, and we'll have to make a decision at some point. There are some things that he's been playing through that are bothering him a little bit more than normal right now."
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