Former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi has announced his retirement from football after six seasons.
Adeniyi, 26, first joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Toledo in 2018. The native of Lagos, Nigeria earned a job on the 53-man roster as a reserve pass rusher and a premier special teamer.
He played three seasons with the Steelers and another two with the Tennessee Titans before spending the 2023 season out of the NFL. He called his unlike NFL journey “a dream.”
“Football has taken me places I never imagined,” Adeniyi said in an Instagram post announcing his retirement. “From earning a full-ride scholarship to playing multiple years in the league, I can walk this earth knowing I’m part of the 1%. The game has given me a foundation to tackle any obstacle life throws my way, and it has blessed me with some of the best relationships and brotherhoods a man could ask for.”
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Adeniyi moved to the United States when he was eight years old, and attended George Bush High School in Richmond, Texas. He was rated as a two-star prospect, and chose Toledo out of only a half-dozen scholarship offers.
With the Rockets, he redshirted in 2014 and played as a backup in 2015 before a breakout season in 2016, when he started 12 games. Back for a redshirt junior season in 2017, he was an All-MAC selection after racking up 8.5 sacks.
That put him on the Steelers’ radar, and they signed him as an undrafted free agent. Adeniyi impressed in his rookie preseason, but spent most of his first NFL season on the injured reserve list and played in just one game.
In 2019, he suited up for all 16 games and became a regular on most special teams phases. In 2020, he got his first extensive playing time at linebacker for the Steelers, as well.
When his rookie contract expired, he signed with the Tennessee Titans, where he got more time at linebacker, and recorded 2.5 sacks in 2021. Injuries again limited him in 2022, when he played just three games. He re-signed with the Steelers to close that season, but failed his physical and was released.
“I will forever be grateful to the game that changed not just my life, but my family’s as well,” Adeniyi said. “Thank you to the Pittsburgh Steelers for taking a chance on a young Nigerian kid, and to the Tennessee Titans for allowing that kid to grow and develop into a young man. I’m truly excited for what’s next.”