Dallas Cowboys veteran linebacker Sean Lee is calling it a career.
The 34-year-old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania told ESPN's Todd Archer he is retiring from football. Lee spent the entirety of his 11-year with the Cowboys.
After 11 seasons with the Cowboys, linebacker Sean Lee tells ESPN he is retiring. Injuries marked his career, but he was a two-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2016 and the unquestioned leader of the defense.https://t.co/DOICS1iVqq
â Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 26, 2021
Lee was Dallas' second-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft. It did not take him long to earn a starting linebacker spot.
The former Penn State standout started 15 games in his second season with the Cowboys, finishing the year with 104 combined tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, seven passes defended and four interceptions.
Injuries would begin to take their toll on Lee. He missed 10 games in 2012 and five more in 2013, though he led the NFL in interception return yards (174) and had 99 combined tackles in just 11 games that season. But it seemed Lee was only setting himself up for redemption.
Lee missed the entirety of the 2014 season for the Cowboys with a torn ACL. He responded by making the Pro Bowl team in 2015 and being named NFL First Team All-Pro in 2016. Lee ranked fourth in the NFL with 145 combined tackles in 2016.
Unfortunately, Lee's redemptive arc did not last very long. Injuries once again played an inhibiting role, limiting him to seven games in 2018 and nine games in 2020 for the Cowboys.
The physical setbacks were certainly frustrating. But they do not detract from Lee's status as one of the greatest âbackers in franchise history. He ranks fourth in Cowboys history in tackles for loss and eighth in solo tackles. Lee also ranks in the top 20 in interceptions as a guy who was equally adept in coverage as he was stuffing the run.
Lee will forever be remembered as one of the most memorable players in this period of Cowboys history.
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