Four-time All-Pro OT Mitchell Schwartz retires from NFL

Offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz, a four-time All-Pro selection, announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday after nine seasons.

Schwartz, 33, didn't play last season after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs last March. He had surgery last February for a back injury that prematurely ended his season in 2020 and snapped a streak of 134 consecutive starts.

In his statement posted to social media on Thursday, Schwartz wrote that he has been doing rehab ever since that surgery.

«I'm currently feeling as good as I have since then, but it's clear my body won't ever be the same. The nerve pain down my legs is no longer a daily occurrence, but it might never fully go away,» he said in the statement.

Schwartz spent his first four NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns, who selected him in the second round of the 2012 draft out of Cal. He signed with the Chiefs in 2016 as a free agent and was an All-Pro each season from 2016 through 2019, including being selected to the first team in 2018.

He had a streak of 7,894 consecutive offensive snaps to begin his career before briefly being knocked out of a midseason game in 2019. He didn't miss a game that season, however, and also started each of the Chiefs' three postseason games, including their 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV to earn his first championship ring.

«Winning the Super Bowl was the pinnacle of my career,'' he said. „I've met so many great people and forged relationships that will last a lifetime. Football was a big part of my life and always will be. I love the game and have a passion for sharing my knowledge. But I never defined myself as a football player.''

Indeed, the affable offensive lineman has built a massive following as