Ricky Ray's new life started Wednesday when he shut the door on a 16-year CFL career and announced his retirement.

After a storied tenure that included more Grey Cups than any starting quarterback in the league's history, the 39-year-old North State native has nothing left to prove.

On Friday, Ray spoke with the Record Searchlight about his retirement and future plans, both short- and long-term. Here are four takeaways from the chat with the top signal caller to come out of Shasta County.

1. Ray's decision came partly out of self-preservation, partly out of selflessness

Ray's final seconds in the CFL were spent scrambling from defenders before being sacked and suffering season-ending neck injury last June.

It's not that the specific hit forced him to retire — he actually feels healthy enough to play another season. Rather, the injury was another piece of evidence in the argument he'd been having with himself each off-season for the last half decade.

Yes, he'd won a fourth championship in 2017. But in 2015, 2016 and 2018, he missed 40 out of 54 regular-season games.

"This has been the question I’ve been asking myself every off-season, like "Man, I’ve been getting hurt a lot. How much longer can I play?" he said. "It's not fun to go and only play 12, 13 games during the season when your team’s trying to rely on you to be there for the whole season. That was getting really frustrating."

Having recognized that a lack of stability at the quarterback position wouldn't do his team any favors, and that his injuries were becoming more frequent, he made the call to retire.

"The risk is getting a little too big for me late in my career," he said. "And the chances of me actually making it through a full season aren’t very high, so it’s time for me to step aside and be done with football."

2. Don't be surprised if you run into him soaking up the North State's natural splendor

Now that Ray doesn't have to focus on eluding tacklers or preseason preparation, he's looking forward to spending more time enjoying the outdoor activities that draw people to Shasta County in the first place.

His weekly routine reads like a "Visit Redding" brochure.

"I either go to the (YMCA) and get a workout, go for a trail run somewhere, whether it's out at Swasey or right there in Mary Lake," Ray said. "If I’m not doing that, I’m trying to play golf or go fishing."

And once his daughters, 4 and 8, are out of school for vacation, he'll get to spend a full summer at home with his children and wife, Allyson, for the first time in nearly two decades. (The Canadian football season always starts in June.)

But just because he has kids doesn't mean he treats recreation with kid gloves. Even though he's no longer a professional athlete, he hasn't shaken the habits associated with his old career.

Recently, he'll find himself pushing his body to the limit while running or biking before having to remind himself that he's retired. And that inherent competitive drive might lead him back to a football field.

3. There's another career path he's thinking about

Ray figures he'll spend the rest of 2019 enjoying his time off. But he knows he might not be able to stay away from football forever. Coaching is on the table.

"I could definitely see myself doing it," he said, adding the coaching career would likely mean moving up to Canada. "That’s the game I know. I haven’t really played the down south game in a long time."

Then again, he has to reconcile the fact that a potential career on the sidelines would mean more time away from his family.

He's seen firsthand how much time coaches have to pour into preparation to be successful. And, he said, the profession can be unpredictable. It's not unusual for coaches to be with a new team each year.

"Basically I’ve got 10-15 years of having kids at home, and I really want to be able to maximize my time with that and them," he said. "That’s going to be one of the big determining factors of what I wanna do next."

4. He hasn't forgotten his roots

While Ray ponders putting on the headset, he'll have the next few months to connect with the people he grew up with, spend time around his family and, in a way, enjoy reliving his childhood.

Shasta County has been the place he's called home since moving from Happy Camp before elementary school.

He fueled his passion for athletics in the area's youth sports scene. He met his wife at Shasta High. He tapped into his professional potential at Shasta College.

Despite a wildly successful pro tenure, he doesn't take home for granted.

"Thank you to everyone who was a positive influence on me here in Shasta County," he said. "All the teammates I’ve had and coaches and people that I came across really helped me get to where I was able to have a good career in the CFL."

More:Redding native, Toronto QB Ricky Ray retires after historic CFL career

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Matt Brannon covers Redding-area sports for the Record Searchlight. Follow him on Twitter @MattBrannon_RS. Support local coverage and keep up with the North State sports scene for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.