Indianapolis Colts offensive guard Joe Reitz announced his retirement Tuesday about an hour before the NFL’s legal tampering period began.
After 9 seasons in the @NFL, @JoeReitz76 is retiring from the game of football.#ThankYouReitz https://t.co/VQwTQwpyLr
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) March 7, 2017
Originally a practice squad player for Indianapolis in 2010, Reitz earned a spot on the active roster in 2011 and became an integral member of the offensive line. He started 44 games during his career with the Colts, appearing in 73 total.
He was honored as the Colts Man of the Year after the 2016 campaign and was a respected leader in the locker room.
“I’m privileged to have had the opportunity to coach Joe for five seasons here in Indianapolis,” head coach Chuck Pagano said in a team release. “He stood out as a selfless player who was respected by his teammates in addition to being a tremendous family man.
“As a native of the Indianapolis area, Joe made an impact on the community he grew up in. He demonstrated how one should conduct himself on and off the field and all Hoosiers and Colts fans alike should be proud of the way he represented himself. We are thankful for Joe’s contributions to this organization and wish him the best moving forward.”
The timing of this announcement is key, because it gives the Colts more clarity about their roster.
No doubt, the Colts will be looking for reinforcements for their offensive line, both in free agency and via the draft. We’ve pondered a scenario where they land the most coveted offensive guard of this year’s free agency class in Kevin Zeitler, who’d immediately upgrade their situation on both running and passing plays.