What would motivate a player who has set an NFL franchise rushing mark to return to his former job?

An inability to shake his urge to play again?

A shot at a Super Bowl?

Enhancing his qualifications for the Hall of Fame?

Maybe.  But perhaps the biggest motivator would be his divorce.  For those who didn’t catch this last year, Barber left his wife for a 23-year old former NBC intern.  Barber was married for 11 years, and has 4 kids produced by his marriage. 

In the divorce proceedings, it was revealed that Tiki was broke and could not afford the divorce settlement to his ex-wife.

Barber, who worked as a correspondent for NBC’s The Today Show and Football Night in America, lost that job because of a morality clause in his contract.  Surely, the clause did not approve of Barber’s choices, and released him from his position in which he made over $300,000 annually.

But hey, if you’re a former NFL running back – and you used to be a fairly good one – you can always get someone to take a chance on you…right?

We know that it won’t be the Giants…particularly considering that he bad-mouthed Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin after he retired.  Barber has officially filed his paperwork to return to the NFL, and subsequently, the New York Giants will release his rights, thereby making him a free agent.

Tiki Barber with money...and Tiki Barber without.

Who’d be interested?  Barber is 36 years of age, and has been out of the league for 5 years now.  Given that most running backs reach their peak before 30, teams have to wonder if signing Barber would give them more than a quick bit of media attention.  It seems that the 10,000-plus yard rusher would fit in best with a team in need of more depth in the backfield.  Barber’s age and level of inactivity would suggest that a team that is searching for a full-time back would be wise to look elsewhere.

That would indicate that teams who are stable, or have other options running the football might want to consider him – simply because he won’t be too much of a gamble.

It’ll be interesting to see how much an over-the-hill tailback who is making a comeback to make ends meet is actually worth.  It’ll also be intriguing to witness how productive Barber can be.  Barber hasn’t been a part of a Super Bowl winning team, and he would seemingly fit into the mold of a serviceable player for a team like New England.

It’s really a sad story for a guy who played well, retired well, and made a good transition into post-NFL life.  Now, selfish choices have him hoping an organization is interested in him.

Will there be a team out there that helps Tiki regain some stability in his life?

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