A tear-jerker of a press conference will be held in the weeks after the 2015 season. An emotional Malcom Floyd will stand at a podium with his wife Daphne and their children — a fourth is on the way — sitting in the front row. Former teammates, coaches and reporters will help fill out the large meeting room at Chargers Park, as the wide receiver officially calls it a career after his 12th NFL season.

The plan has not changed.

The retirement is still on.

For a few years now, Floyd has planned to walk away from the NFL after the current season, the final one in his contract. A recent shoulder injury won’t change that, he said Wednesday. Tight end Antonio Gates suggested earlier in the week that his retirement stance might be softening, and others close to Floyd acknowledged he was revisiting it in at least some fashion. But the 34-year-old has decided to keep with the program.


That doesn’t make his walk any easier.

“I’m going to stick to the original plan, unfortunately,” Floyd said. “I’m going to miss it. I’ll tell you that.”

Floyd suffered a torn labrum on Nov. 9 when — what else? — laying out for a deep pass against the Bears. The pass was incomplete, but in terms of his career, it perfectly caught what the 34-year-old has been. From the day he arrived in 2004 as an undrafted rookie from Wyoming, he was all effort, all the time. That has continued with age. Coach Mike McCoy recalled this week how, at the start of training camp, Floyd stood in line for a special-teams gunner drill even though he’d never be asked to handle the role in a game.

That’s Floyd.


Throughout the organization, he’ll be missed.

A more in-depth revisiting of his career will be saved for another day, a day in early 2016. For now, Floyd isn’t done yet. He will continue rehabbing toward a return to the field, something he and McCoy both fully expect to transpire this season. It’d be a leap to say Floyd will play this Sunday against the Chiefs, but his status will gain clarity over the course of the week. Tyrell Williams, an undrafted rookie on the practice squad like Floyd was 12 years ago, likely and fittingly will be promoted to the roster in the event Floyd cannot play.

Floyd’s chance to put the finishing touches on his career will come.

His plan has not changed.


“This is my last season,” Floyd said.