Veteran NFL Linebacker Abruptly Retires After Seven Seasons
Myles Jack of the Philadelphia Eagles has announced his retirement.
An NFL linebacker is done playing football. Over the weekend, Myles Jack informed the Philadelphia Eagles of his retirement from the league. The Eagles placed Jack on the reserve/retired list, and Jack agreed to terms with the team two weeks earlier.
Jack signed with the Eagles earlier this month after spending the 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before signing with the Eagles, Jack considered leaving the NFL to attend trade school to be an electrician or plumber. "I like to work. I couldn't sit at home," Jack told Zach Berman of The Athletic. "I've been blessed to make a lot of money. I could retire and sit at the house. …I want to be innovative. If a zombie apocalypse came, I want to be able to build something."
Sources: Veteran LB Myles Jack has informed the #Eagles that he plans to retire after seven NFL seasons and 617 tackles. Jack signed with Philly during camp, now will hang ‘em up. pic.twitter.com/xhMDOUjUSV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2023
Jack was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL Draft. He played in Jacksonville for six seasons and his best year was in 2020 when he recorded 118 tackles, six tackles for loss, one interception and five passes defended. After the 2021 season, Jack signed a two-year contract with the Steelers. In 2022, Jack posted 104 tackles, three tackles for loss and three passes defended. Jack was released by the Steelers in March.
Before leaving the Jaguars, Jack talked about what the team needed in a new head coach after Urban Meyer was fired earlier in the 2021 season. "It was basically, like you know, finish out the year strong and do what you need to do," Jack told the Florida Times-Union. "So yeah, when do have an opportunity to speak to [Jaguars owner Shad Khan], I definitely will be one of the first people to say that for sure if that question (about what they need in the next coach) comes about."
Jack also said what the team needed to turn their fortunes around. "We just need No. 1, a leader of men," Jack said. "Somebody, when they say something, it holds weight. Like is everything detailed, you can tell like it is a finished product. No. 2, it's got to be somebody who is just about ball. You know what I mean? It's about winning. We just got to win. All that player-friendly and he's a nice coach, we don't really care about all that."