Packers free agent B.J. Raji is taking a 'hiatus' from football

After a bounceback season that seemed to put him on the cusp of a larger free-agent contract than he got last year from the Green Bay Packers, 29-year-old defensive tackle B.J. Raji is taking what he calls a "hiatus" from the NFL.

Raji, ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft, was a Pro Bowl selection in 2011 but dropped off significantly in 2012 and 2013. He signed one-year make-good deals with the Packers in each of the past two offseasons when it turned out the market for his services was weaker than expected, but a torn bicep kept him from playing in 2014.