After months of contemplating his options, Joe Staley of the San Francisco 49ers decided to retire from the NFL on Saturday, leaving his teammates to thank him for his contributions. Following his decision to retire, George Kittle delivered an emotional message to Staley via Twitter.
Jesus George. Making me cry over here bro. https://t.co/68OXzrb5l3
— Joe Staley (@jstaley74) April 25, 2020
While the final day of the 2020 NFL Draft got underway, the 49ers acquired Trent Williams in a trade with the Washington Redskins. Due to the trade for Williams, fans in San Francisco had doubts that Staley would return. Those doubts became reality when Staley made his retirement official on Twitter.
Before retiring, Staley put together quite an impressive career with the 49ers. As a first-round pick out of Central Michigan, Staley would go on to play 13 seasons in San Francisco. Altogether, Staley would make six Pro Bowls and would be a part of two Super Bowl teams.
Even though he never won a Super Bowl, Staley was a key cog in San Francisco's offense for 13 years. As a matter of fact, Staley was selected to the NFL's All-Decade Team for how he performed from 2011-2019.
There's no doubt that the 49ers are going to miss having his leadership and consistency on the left side of the offensive line. Besides Kittle, the 49ers' organization released an official statement, thanking Staley for his time in San Francisco.
During his career in the NFL, Staley was known as an outgoing and humorous guy on and off of the field. But seeing Kittle speak about him has Staley expressing his emotions.
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