Former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh announced his retirement on Saturday.
Defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh has not played in two years, but he had not announced any plans to retire from the NFL, ending a Hall of Fame career that lasted 13 years. That changed on Saturday when the 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year took to X to officially end his NFL career.
Suh, in the post, stated that losing his father on July 12, 2024 was the hardest day of his life. Before his dad passed away, he told Suh, “It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter.” Exactly a year later, Suh officially hung up his cleats.
Suh was drafted second overall in 2010 by the Detroit Lions. He immediately made an impact, recording 66 tackles, one interception, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, and 10 sacks in his rookie year, being selected to the Pro Bowl and as a First-Team All-Pro along with his rookie of the year award.
In March 2015, Suh signed with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent, setting a new record for the highest-paid defensive player in league history as he agreed to a six-year, $114 million contract. He spent three years with Miami before he was released in a salary cap savings move. During his three seasons in Miami, he tallied 181 tackles, 13 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 15.5 sacks. He was selected as a Second-Team All-Pro in 2016, as well as making the Pro Bowl, joining four all-star selections he had with Detroit.
Following his time with Miami, Suh played a season with the Los Angeles Rams, three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the 2022 season included eight games with the Philadelphia Eagles, joining the team midseason in a playoff push.
He won Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers after the 2020 season.
He finished his career with three First-Team All-Pro selections, two Second-Team selections, and five Pro Bowls. He recorded 600 tackles, one interception, 38 passses defensed, five forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries with three touchdowns, and 71.5 sacks. He was named to the NFL All-Decades Team for the 2010s.
“I left it all on the field, and now I’m stepping away with peace and gratitude,” Suh said in his statement as he ended the reflection on his career before transitioning to the “next season” of his life which will include work to help “athletes, entrepreneurs, and young people navigating life and money.” He has started the “No Free Lunch” podcast as part of that goal.
Suh is destined to be in the Hall of Fame. He will likely be selected in 2027, his first year of eligibility for enshrinement in Canton.
You can read his full statement, as well as check out the incredible pictures of him with his father in a thread on X, starting with this post:
July 12, 2024 was the hardest day of my life.
It’s the day I said goodbye to my father, the man who raised me, shaped me, challenged me, and believed in me before I believed in myself.
He wasn’t just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor.
He taught me what it meant to… pic.twitter.com/WkefQaDrsQ— Ndamukong Suh (@NdamukongSuh) July 12, 2025