One former NFL Pro Bowler has decided to call it an early career.
Veteran safety Keanu Neal announced on Sunday in a post to his Instagram page that he has decided to retire from the NFL. Neal is calling it quits at just 29 years old.
“God has blessed my family and I in so many ways,” Neal wrote. “Particularly in the game of football. 20 years ago, I started this journey. Today, I am retiring from the NFl. Gods’ timing is always the right timing.”
You can read Neal’s full post below.
Neal was a first-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2016 (No. 17 overall) and went on to make a Pro Bowl team with them in his sophomore season in 2017 after posting 116 combined tackles and a team-high three forced fumbles. He also later played in his NFL career for the Dallas Cowboys, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But Neal’s career was ultimately derailed by a pair of devastating injuries — a torn ACL suffered in 2018 followed by a torn Achilles suffered in 2019. Neal was only ever able to land one-year contracts following those injuries, and he had failed a physical with the Steelers last March, resulting in him going unsigned for the entire 2024 season.
While the circumstances may have forced his hand into an early retirement, Neal is keeping a positive attitude as he looks ahead to his next chapter. Neal still had some spring in his step the last time that we saw him on an NFL field, but now he is ready to move on to bigger and better.
