After spending a decade as one of the NFL's most underrated interior defenders, Jurrell Casey is calling it a career.
The Tennessee Titans announced Thursday that the five-time Pro Bowler will retire. The 31-year-old spent nine seasons with the Titans from 2011-2019 and played three games in Denver in 2020.
"This is a proud day for Jurrell, his family and the Titans family," Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. "There is no greater model for what a player can achieve both on the field and in the community than Jurrell. His five Pro Bowls and two Community Man of the Year awards are part of a tremendous legacy for others to follow. He has a passion for improving the lives of others that shines through in big ways with his work with multiple organizations in our community but also in the quieter, day-to-day interactions on a personal level.
"On the field, he was a force and helped establish a standard as we rebuilt a culture of success during his tenure, ultimately serving as a captain on the 2019 team that advanced to the AFC Championship Game. On behalf of our entire organization, I congratulate him on a fantastic career, and we will always consider him part of the Titans family. I look forward to seeing what is next for him because I know that no matter what is in store he will continue to make those around him better."
A pocket-pusher with nimble feet, Casey was a force for the Titans, often overlooked as a disruptor who lived in backfields and wreaked havoc on offenses. He was most recently a free agent following a February release by the Broncos, with whom he missed most the 2020 season because of a torn biceps injury.
Casey ends his career with 51 sacks and 507 total tackles in 10 seasons.
His five-straight Pro Bowls from 2015-2019 were matched only by Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins and Fletcher Cox among interior defenders over that span. Casey was also one of only five players to compile at least five sacks and 40 tackles every season from 2013 to 2019, joining Calais Campbell, Carlos Dunlap, Chandler Jones and Cameron Jordan.
The two-time Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee ranks seventh in Titans/Oilers history in sacks.
