Veteran offensive lineman and president of the NFL players association JC Tretter announced Thursday his retirement from the league on Twitter.
In the announcement, Tretter referenced a letter he wrote to himself in May 2011, when he was a tight end at Cornell.
“I am proud of what I’ve accomplished and how far I’ve come from that night when I made the pledge to myself,” Tretter wrote. “I feel like if my 31 year-old self could talk to my 20 year-old self, I could earnestly tell him that we did it. We did everything we said we’d do and more.”
Tretter changed his position to offensive line and would ultimately get drafted by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He spent four seasons in Green Bay, then signed in Cleveland where he played the next five years.
With the Browns, he started 80 games, missing only one because of COVID-19 protocols.
In addition to being a starting center, Tretter has served as the NFLPA president since 2020. In that role, he helped negotiate the latest CBA and COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
The Browns released Tretter in the offseason due to a knee injury, something he has dealt with for a few years. However, Tretter has never believed his knee issues would be what ended his career.
“Guys would be like, ‘Oh, like how are your knees doing?’” Tretter told Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt. “And I always said, ‘My NFLPA job is gonna end my career well before my knees end my career.’”
While Tretter is walking away now, it wasn’t before he tried to sign with another team this season. The offensive lineman told Prewitt he wanted to sign with either the Panthers, Cowboys or Vikings, among seven teams he contacted. However, none of those teams responded to his inquiries.
Tretter hasn’t gotten any calls despite him claiming his knee is “fully ready” for a game. As this offseason has unfolded, though, Tretter says he has become less interested in returning to the game.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I’m going to retire,” he said. “I know what I’ve accomplished in my career and I’m at peace with that.”
