Tight end Brent Celek announced his retirement Friday after 11 seasons in the NFL. Celek spent all 11 of his seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before they released him earlier this year.
Celek considered returning elsewhere for a 12th season, but he ultimately decided he wanted to end his career in Philadelphia after finally winning a Super Bowl, according to Dave Spadaro of Eagles.com.
“I’ve been reflecting on my entire career and how I got to this point today,” said Celek, who caught 398 passes for 4,998 yards and 31 touchdowns in a glorious Eagles career that began as a fifth-round draft pick in 2007 from the University of Cincinnati and ended as a Super Bowl Champion. “I thought about all the guys through the years, the organization, all of the ups and the downs. It was an amazing experience and I’m very grateful.
“I’m very much at peace with this decision.”
The Eagles selected Celek out of Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He became a mainstay in the lineup over the next 11 years, missing just one game in his career.
After playing a backup role during his first two years, he took over as the Eagles' starting tight end in 2009. He proceeded to have the best year of his career, hauling in a team-high 76 passes for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. He earned a six-year contract extension for his efforts.
Celek never matched that production again, and he took a backseat to Zach Ertz over the final few years of his career. Still, Celek's veteran presence and durability was valuable as he finished up his career and became a Super Bowl champion.
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