Pittsburgh Steelers veteran calls it a career just days after rejoining the team

If you follow the league closely enough, you know that retirements don't come after the season, as much as they do before it starts.

And even though the Pittsburgh Steelers just signed veteran EDGE Markus Golden earlier in the week, he has decided it's time to hang up his cleats:

Golden Calls it a Career

The Steelers placed linebacker Markus Golden on the Reserve/Retired List.

Golden, who played nine seasons, was signed by the Steelers during training camp. He spent the 2023 season with the Steelers, recording 20 tackles, 14 of them solo stops, four sacks, six tackles for a loss, a pass defensed and a fumble recovery. His four sacks ranked third on the team behind fellow outside linebackers T.J. Watt (19) and Alex Highsmith (7).

Golden played in 16 games, as well as starting the team's AFC Wild Card game with Watt out injured. - Teresa Varley, Steelers

Golden was slated to be a valuable depth piece in the pass-rushing rotation for Pittsburgh, running with the second team and potential sophomore standout Nick Herbig.

The man they called "Junk" short for Junkyard Dawg , was the perfect fit in both Pittsburgh's scheme and culture, but life comes at you fast in the NFL, and Steelers camp isn't for the faint of heart, perhaps leaving Golden to think twice about his return to the team.

"I just love to compete," said Golden at the end of the 2023 season. "When you have been playing something since you were a kid, if you really love it like you did as a kid, it never leaves. That's how I look at it. I have been loving ball since I was a kid, being able to play it now as a man, I still have that same feeling in my heart...

"...I make sure I have fun. No matter what, I make sure I have fun. I love playing for Mike T. I love working hard and playing football, so I fit right in."

With Golden now confirmed to be out for Friday's preseason opener, and the team already planning on resting their top pass-rushing duo among other stars, there will be an emphasis on young players like Nick Herbig, Jeremiah Moon, Kyron Johnson, and even DeMarvin Leal, who has now moved to OLB after impressing early in camp.