Tackle Dakoda Shepley, a veteran of 16 NFL games across four NFL seasons, announced his immediate retirement from football on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Shepley spent the 2026 season with the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts. The Windsor, Ontario. native confirmed he played his final game after the Argos lost in the CFL playoffs,
Shepley suited up for the San Francisco 49ers (2020), Seattle Seahawks (2021) and Dallas Cowboys (2022, 2024) in his NFL career.
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“This was definitely my last year,” Shepley said Sunday, via 3DownNation.com. “One thousand percent. I thought last year was, but [I wanted to] go out on my own terms rather than go out on an injury, play a solid year of football, and try to win a championship. Is what it is, and that was it for me.
“My body feels worse than it’s ever felt. Getting beat up week-to-week, managing injuries, shoulders, back, ankles, knees — everything hurts right now. In a month I’m sure I’ll feel fine. It’s pretty violent on the line of scrimmage.”
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The Cowboys waived Shepley in August 2025. He saw most of his NFL action on special teams. With the Argonauts, he played in 17 games this season, including the playoffs. He recorded four tackles and even caught a pass for three yards.
‘Priorities have shifted’
Saskatchewan selected Shepley in the first round (fifth overall) out of the University of British Columbia in the 2018 CFL Draft. He played 18 games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2019 before making the leap to the NFL.
“I have a newborn at home, an eight-month-old, and my wife back in Dallas,” he said. “Priorities have shifted, and I feel like I can’t give the attention that football needs that I’ve committed to all these years.”
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