Former Steelers Linebacker Announces Retirement

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Myles Jack will retire instead of continuing his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, he informed his new club this weekend.

According to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Jack has told the Eagles that he intends to retire. He had just signed with Philadelphia on Aug. 6, after the start of training camp.

Jack, 27, had told reporters that he was at home and considered taking up a trade while waiting for a call from the NFL after the Steelers released him in a salary cap-related move in March. Now, it appears that he will find his next calling after seven seasons in the NFL.

Jack sent just one season in Pittsburgh, leading the Steelers in tackles in 2022 with 104, but he didn’t create any splash plays, recording just three tackles for loss and no sacks or turnovers.

The Steelers’ entire inside linebacker group didn’t have a sack or forced turnover last season, which is why the team reshaped the entire corps coming into the 2023 season, signing Kwon Alexander, Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts to replace Jack, Devin Bush and Robert Spillane. Jack was also hampered with a debilitating groin injury last year that had him in and out of the lineup.

The second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars the 2016 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Jack was an immediate starter for the Jaguars, playing right outside linebacker, middle linebacker and left outside linebacker over his six seasons with the team.

Jack played in 88 games and started 82 of them or the Jags. He recorded 513 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 15 passes defended. His best statistical season was in 2020, when he had a career-high 118 tackles and six tackles for loss while playing in just 14 games.

A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Mack attended high school in Bellevue, Washington and was a running back before becoming a linebacker. He also was a state champion in track, running the 200 meters, 400 meters and 4 x 100 and 4 x 400-meter relays.

In 2013 at UCLA, he was the Pac-12 offensive and defensive freshman of the year playing running back and linebacker, as well as freshman All-American honors and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award. He was chosen as an All-Pac 12 selection at linebacker in 2014, while still playing some linebacker, but lost the 2015 season due to a torn meniscus in his knee. He entered the draft after playing just two seasons with the Bruins.