San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff announced his retirement from the NFL after a six-year career in the league.
The 27-year-old spent the first four years of his career with the New York Jets before single-season stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Niners.
He made the bombshell announcement that he was hanging up his cleats in a video statement on Instagram on Thursday.
Huff, who won Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles, shared that he was eager to pursue a new venture away from the football field.
The defensive standout, who is in the physical prime of his career, said he was ready for the next chapter of his life.
‘I’m retiring from football,’ Huff said in his video. ‘I started playing football when I was four years old. Growing up, I wasn’t the biggest or the strongest, and I didn’t have many friends. All I really had was the game. Football kept me grounded. It gave me something to hold onto.’
Former Super Bowl winner Bryce Huff announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday
The defensive end (right) played six years in the league, most recently with the 49ers
‘We battled through injuries, fought our way into the playoffs, and gave everything we had,’ Huff continued. ‘Through all of it, I realized something. Football has been my entire life. I’ve played ever since I was four years old, but at 27 years old, I know I’m capable of giving the world more than just football.
‘The game taught me perseverance, it taught me discipline, it taught me how to lead and how to find a way forward when things feel impossible. Now it’s time for the next chapter of my life.’
Huff revealed that he would be launching Neighborstone, a company focused on lithium-ion battery technology.
An undrafted free agent out of Memphis in 2020, Huff was eventually signed by the Jets, where he spent the first four years of his NFL career.
Huff appeared in 54 games and started seven for New York, while recording 17.5 sacks and 65 tackles during that span, and was credited with 43 quarterback hits.
He left the Jets after the 2023 season, signing a three-year deal with the Eagles in the offseason.
Huff clinched a Super Bowl championship ring with Philadelphia that season, despite not suiting up for their 40-22 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs.
He played this past season with the 49ers after being traded to the Bay Area in exchange for a conditional draft pick.
Huff is pictured tackling Patrick Mahomes during his four years as a New York Jet
Huff played in 15 games, starting eight, for the 49ers last season and had four sacks, 30 tackles and two forced fumbles.
His retirement will save the Niners $5.4 million in 2026 salary-cap space.
Shortly after Huff’s statement broke, it emerged that the Niners were bringing back linebacker Dre Greenlaw for a second stint, agreeing to a one-year contract with their former star after he was released by Denver.
NFL Network first reported the deal, saying it was worth $7.5 million.
Greenlaw was an integral part of San Francisco’s defense from 2019-24, teaming with Fred Warner as one of the league’s best linebacker duos in that span. But he ruptured his Achilles running onto the field during the Super Bowl following the 2023 season and missed almost the entire 2024 season.
Greenlaw left San Francisco last offseason to sign a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Broncos. But he was cut earlier this week after one season when he was limited to eight games because of injuries.
