The 2016 NFL season will begin without Calvin Johnson terrorizing defenses with his big-play ability or Marshawn Lynch exploding down the field with his "Beast Mode" runs.

Certainly the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks will find life a little more difficult without their star offensive players. But Johnson, at age 30, and Lynch, who turns 30 on Friday, both opted to retire from the NFL this offseason. Johnson pondered his options for quite some time before making a decision, while Lynch tweeted a picture of hanging cleats with a peace sign symbolized.

The rest of the league no doubt takes more notice with such early retirements when they involve marquee players such as Johnson, Lynch and former San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis. But there have been others, like 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, Patriots linebacker Jerrod Mayo and Steelers pass-rusher Jason Worilds, to name a few.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones understand why many NFL players are retiring young but both want to keep playing for as long as they can. AP Photo/David Goldman

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones certainly realized the magnitude of the situation when the player at his position known as "Megatron" decided to walk away.

"I don't fault anyone for stepping away from the game," Jones said. "I don't know what was everything behind why he retired. But for me speaking for myself, like if I was ever to think about retiring, it’s just like when my game starts declining and I feel like I can’t go anymore and do the things that can usually do, that’s when I can hang it up. You can only give what you've got. You just want to be able to live a life after football. You want to be able to walk around; just the little things.

"If anybody's considering retirement, I'm all for it. You've got to live your life. I can't live your life for you. You know what you want to do with your life and, after football, what you want to do."

The 27-year-old Jones has dealt with significant injuries with a couple of foot fractures, but he's battled through those setbacks. So, how many more years does he want to play?

"I'm year to year," Jones said with a smile. "Nah, I'm just going to keep going. Like I said, if I feel like I have a decline in my game and I can't go and I can't overcome something ... because I'm very tough and I have a high tolerance for pain. All the above. If I feel like I can’t go, I just can’t go. Other people tell me I can’t go and I know I can still go. So when I can't go, then it's time."

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who turns 31 next month, also addressed the issue of early retirements.

"I can't really speak for anybody else because everybody's deal is very unique to themselves," Ryan said. "Everybody has a lot of different reasons for why they want to do things. I know for me, I'm 30 years old in my career going into Year 9, and I feel great. My body feels great. And I want to keep playing as long as I can. And that's kind of where I'm at. But for other guys, everybody has their own reasons to do things. It's certainly become a topic of conversation now, but I can't speak for other guys."

Ryan was asked if it's scary to see the mounting talk about concussions and concerns over developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Such concerns caused San Francisco's Borland to retire at age 24 after one promising NFL season.

"Absolutely," Ryan said. "Obviously, I think everybody understands the issues that kind of come with head trauma. That's certainly been well-publicized and well-researched. But I also think there's a lot of positives that come with playing this game. I'm very grateful that I started playing when I was young and have been healthy throughout my entire life. But I've learned a lot and become the person that I am because of it. I think there's a lot of value to playing."

Ryan saw two of his former teammates, fullback Jason Snelling and defensive lineman Peria Jerry, unexpectedly retire from the NFL at ages 30 and 29, respectively, in the last few years.

"I don't think you're ever surprised because, again, you know it's a grind and difficult," Ryan said. "And like I said, people have a lot of different things going on in their lives that might make them one to step away from playing. I'm not one to kind of judge or pass opinion on what they're going to do with their lives. But you know it's certainly something that's prevalent."