Pass rusher Markus Golden retires after nine NFL seasons

Veteran outside linebacker Markus Golden officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday after nine seasons.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had placed Golden, 33, on the reserve/retired list this month but Wednesday was the first time that Golden acknowledged that he was officially retiring.

"Football has always been more than just a sport to me, I've officially retired from the NFL after playing the game I've loved all my life. I feel truly blessed to have been able to live out the dreams and goals I set for myself as a kid," he wrote in a post to Instagram.

Selected in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Cardinals , Golden registered three seasons of double-digit sacks in his career, most recently in 2021 when he had 11 for Arizona. His other double-digit sack seasons came in 2016, when he had a career-best 12.5 for the Cardinals and in 2019, when he posted 10 for the New York Giants .

Last season, he had four sacks in 16 games for the Steelers and started Pittsburgh's wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills , with T.J. Watt sidelined by injury. Golden had a sack in the 31-17 loss.

Golden finishes his career with 51 sacks, 343 tackles and 11 forced fumbles in 127 games with the Cardinals, Giants and Steelers.