In the end, page after page of calendars have been ripped away and piles of memories have been collected. Long-time NFL players may have spent all or most of their careers with one team, in one place, their jersey numbers scattered throughout the stadium on game day. But when the end comes, someone has to show them the door.

"Most important in a good relationship is the truth, is honesty," said St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher. "Whether they agree with you or not, that's their choice. It isn't easy."

Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier echoes that sentiment.

"They're proud guys," he said. "They've been very successful in the league. They've done a lot for your organization and now you're telling them their services are no longer needed. It's a very hard thing, and most of the time they don't agree with you."

There are two options: Make the call on your own to retire, as Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver did after the 2012 season. Or, as Ed Reed and Brian Urlacher have done after 11 and 13 years with the Ravens and Chicago Bears respectively, enter free agency to extend your career.

Defensive end Elvis Dumervil balked when the Broncos told him he no longer was worth what they were paying him. Entering his eighth NFL season, Dumervil is searching for more money in the open market after a contract snafu led to the Broncos cutting him. Super Bowl champion Baltimore, meanwhile, traded 32-year-old wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Fisher moved on from longtime Rams running back Steven Jackson. The list of former Pro Bowl selections looking for new teams is long.

NFL teams seem to operate under the premise that releasing a player a year early is better than a year too late. Even Peyton Manning, a quarterback headed to the Hall of Fame, was released when the Indianapolis Colts had the chance to draft Andrew Luck.

"It's one of the toughest things to do sometimes, especially if you think he may have a little bit left," Frazier said.

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said it's his responsibility to break such news to the player.

"Give the reasons they may not be with you," he said. "Never cut a person without talking to them. You can't be afraid to talk to them when you give them the bad news. A lot of people will have somebody else do it. If I release somebody, I'm going to tell him why."

Players often talk about using the negative as motivation — criticism as fuel. When a coach sits across from them and tells them it's over, rarely is the reaction: "You're right." It's why Hall of Famer Franco Harris became a Seahawk, Johnny Unitas became a Charger, Joe Namath became a Ram and Emmitt Smith became a Cardinal.

Wide receiver Donald Driver was all smiles when he announced his retirement, but that&#8217;s rare.
Wide receiver Donald Driver was all smiles when he announced his retirement, but that's rare. (The Associated Press )

"It's tremendously hard," said Broncos coach John Fox. "I listen to (former Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice talk about, 'Don't let today's decisions be affected by tomorrow's headlines.' That's a hard thing to do, especially when there are loyalties built.

"You have teams where maybe a guy has been an eight-year vet for you and done a lot of good things. It's a hard business. If it was easy, anybody could do it. It's a young man's game."

Fisher, who was a defensive back and kick returner for the Bears in the 1980s, suffered an ankle injury during training camp for what turned out to be the team's fabled 1985 run to a Super Bowl championship. He had practiced the final few weeks of the season and into the postseason. He believed he would be ready to play in 1986.

A week after the Super Bowl, Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan called him to offer a job as an assistant coach. Ryan had just been hired as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

"(Ryan) said, 'What are you doing? I want you to come coach with me.' I said, 'I think I'm going to play another couple years.' He said, 'You getting married?' I said yeah, and he said, 'Tell your fiancée she needs to throw you a retirement party.' That's how I was told," Fisher said.

Frazier, also a former defensive back, said he didn't take the news all that well when he was cut, something he tries to remember now when he delivers it.

"Did I believe it? No, I thought I could still play, but over time you realize it. It's not what you want to hear," Frazier said. "But you're a young man. It's not like you're 65, ready to go into retirement. So it's tough. You sit there and there is so much of life in front of you. It's hard to accept that playing won't be part of it anymore."

Jeff Legwold: or

The not so few, but still proud

Recently, some of the NFL's high-profile players have been released or traded, or their longtime teams didn't renew their contracts. Here's a look:

Pos., Player,  What happened
LB, Ray Lewis: Retired
WR, Donald Driver: Retired
S, Ed Reed: Contract not renewed, signed with Texans
LB, Brian Urlacher: Contract not renewed, a free agent
DE, Elvis Dumervil: Released, a free agent
DE, Dwight Freeney: Contract not renewed, a free agent
DE, John Abraham: Contract not renewed, a free agent
RB, Steven Jackson: Opted out of contract, signed with Falcons
WR, Wes Welker: Contract not renewed, signed with Broncos
CB, Antoine Winfield: Released, a free agent
DT,  Richard Seymour: Contract not renewed, a free agent
CB, Nnamdi Asomugha: Released, a free agent
LB, James Harrison: Released, a free agent