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Veteran NFL defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, who was named to five straight Pro Bowls during his prime with the Tennessee Titans, retired on Thursday after a decade in the league.
Casey announced his retirement through a story on the Titans’ official website, and spoke fondly of his nine seasons in Tennessee:
My career, it was amazing, just to have the opportunity to play this game. It was beautiful. I always tried to play to the best of my ability, and always considered it an honor. To be able to get drafted by Tennessee, and to be able to live out a lifetime dream is everything a young man from Long Beach, California could dream of. All the relationships that I made along the way, we had a brotherhood. And Tennessee, it was a great place to call home for me and my family
Casey was a third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of USC, and didn’t take long to cement his status as an elite defender. He was a 2013 second-team All-Pro selection when he racked up 10.5 sacks. More recently, Casey was an instrumental force in the Titans’ surprise run to the AFC Championship Game following the 2019 campaign.
In addition to being a star player for the Titans, Casey’s impact was felt locally away from the gridiron. As the Titans’ story underscores, he was named Titans Community Man of the Year twice.
Casey expressed bitterness when Tennessee traded him to the Denver Broncos last year. However, it seems like there’s no bad blood between him and the Titans organization any longer.
Although he leaves behind an epic legacy on and off the field, Casey is still just 31 years old. A torn biceps in 2020 limited Casey to only three games, but even as he remained unsigned with the 2021 season closing in, it was conceivable that he could’ve returned this year and still played at a high level.
All that said, it’s worth focusing on just how dominant Casey was. He finished with 507 combined tackles, 85 tackles for loss and 51 sacks for his career. Before his stint in Denver, Casey had never missed more than two games in a season.
How far will the Titans go in this year’s postseason? Read our NFL playoff predictions now