Early retirement is becoming more common in the NFL. On Thursday, another player under the age of 30 retired from the league, this time being San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff.
Huff spent 2024 with the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the Super Bowl-winning team before he joined the 49ers in 2025.
Huff announced his retirement on Instagram.
“I’m retiring from football,” Huff said. “I started playing football when I was 4 years old. Growing up, I wasn’t the biggest or the strongest, and I didn’t have many friends. All I really had was the game. Football kept me grounded. It gave me something to hold onto.”
The 49ers also posted a thank-you message to Huff after the news.
San Francisco 49ers DL Bryce Huff informed the team he plans to retire from the National Football League. We would like to thank Bryce for his contributions throughout the 2025 season and we wish him the best. pic.twitter.com/DEFyYvLywv
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) March 12, 2026
Huff already has a plan in place as he retires from the NFL.
Huff revealed he is starting a company called Naberstone, which will build safety infrastructure to help reduce fire risk from lithium-ion batteries.
Huff added that “This mission will save lives and protect critical infrastructure as battery technology continues to scale.”
Huff originally went undrafted but signed with the New York Jets and played there for four seasons. After recording a career-high 10 sacks in 2023, the Eagles gave Huff a three-year, $51.1 million deal, which wound up being the highest contract ever for an undrafted non-quarterback in NFL history.
The Eagles then traded Huff to the 49ers last offseason, reuniting him with former Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
Huff’s NFL career now comes to an end, and he is set to begin another meaningful chapter in his life.
