Over the next six days, some 1,100 players will be trimmed from NFL rosters. Some of those players will comprise the 256 practice-squad spots that will start to be filled next Saturday afternoon, while some could "luck out" and be stashed on injured reserve so their team can take another look during the 2013 offseason.
For the vast majority of these players, though, the preseason games this weekend and next week are their Super Bowls. It could be the last time they'll ever step foot on an NFL playing field, after which they'll pursue careers in other fields.
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For Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Devin Goda, an undrafted free agent out of Slippery Rock, that would mean a return to his career in male modeling.
"Hopefully football works out," Goda said, according to BaltimoreRavens.com. "But if not, I'll definitely do modeling for a little while. That's what I would love to do."
Goda received a $2,500 signing bonus from the Ravens but has no receptions in two preseason games.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Indianapolis Colts safety Matt Merletti could join the family business: the United States Secret Service.
Merletti's father spent 25 years in the Secret Service, and two cousins have protected presidents for the last 16 years. Merletti's brother also has been accepted to the program.
"It would be an interesting career if I would want to pursue that," Merletti said, via Phillip Wilson of The Indianapolis Star. "It's definitely on the table for me."
A 5-foot-11, 205-pound undrafted rookie out of North Carolina, Merletti received no signing bonus from the Colts and has five tackles through two preseason games.
Follow Brian McIntyre on Twitter _@brianmcintyre_.
