Jul 12, 2025, 12:35 PM ET<\/p>\n
Ndamukong Suh<\/a> announced his retirement from the NFL on Saturday, issuing a heartfelt statement on the first anniversary of his father’s death.<\/p>\n Crediting his father as “my idol, my coach, and my anchor,” the defensive lineman relayed what he said was the final piece of advice from his dad.<\/p>\n “It’s time to let football go,” he recalled his father saying. “You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter.”<\/p>\n “That conversation stayed with me,” Suh posted in his statement on social media. “So today, one year later, I’m honoring that wish.<\/p>\n “I’m officially retiring from the NFL.”<\/p>\n July 12, 2024 was the hardest day of my life.<\/p>\n It’s the day I said goodbye to my father, the man who raised me, shaped me, challenged me, and believed in me before I believed in myself.<\/p>\n He wasn’t just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor. \u2014 Ndamukong Suh (@NdamukongSuh) July 12, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Suh, 38, was the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NFL draft by the Lions. He spent five seasons in Detroit (2010-14), then played for the Miami Dolphins<\/a> (2015-17), Los Angeles Rams<\/a> (2018), Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> (2019-21) and Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> (2022).<\/p>\n He has been out of football the past two seasons. He won the Super Bowl with the 2020 Buccaneers.<\/p>\n Suh made his presence known as a rookie, posting a career high of 10 sacks and being named an All-Pro and AP Rookie of the Year. It was the first of his three All-Pro honors, and he also was named to the Hall of Fame All-2010s team.<\/p>\n He made 600 career tackles and 71.5 sacks, adding one interception, five forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries — three returned for a touchdown. He appeared in 199 games, starting all but the eight he played with the Eagles in his final season.<\/p>\n “I left it all on the field, and now I’m stepping away with peace and gratitude,” he said.<\/p>\n “Because I’ve been preparing for this moment for years. Football was my passion, but it was never my endgame.”<\/p>\n He now hosts the “No Free Lunch” podcast, in which he strives to share what he’s learned about “navigating life and money,” he said.<\/p>\n
He taught me what it meant to… pic.twitter.com\/WkefQaDrsQ<\/a><\/p>\n