Veteran offensive tackle Ryan Clady has retired from the NFL, he announced on Twitter on Tuesday.
Clady, 30, became a free agent when the New York Jets declined to pay him a $1 million roster bonus due in February.
"Despite having several teams who are currently interested in signing me, I have made a very difficult decision to retire from my NFL playing career," Clady said in his post. "I have deliberated on this decision thoroughly until now because I wanted to see if the beginning of NFL training camps would inspire the passion that I need to perform at the standards that I established for myself during my 9-year NFL career. ...
"I am excited about what life holds for me going forward."
I'm excited about what life holds for me going forward. pic.twitter.com/7D1cglA8eG
— Ryan Clady (@RyanClady) August 1, 2017
The 2008 first-round pick made four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams during his seven seasons with the Denver Broncos. Because of foot and knee injuries, he played in only two games in 2013 and missed the entire 2015 season.
Broncos executive vice president John Elway lauded Clady's career on Twitter.
A great player for the Broncos for many years--as dominant as there was as an LT in pass pro. Congrats on an outstanding career, Ryan!!! https://t.co/IVY0kyxhZr
— John Elway (@johnelway) August 1, 2017
Clady was acquired by the Jets in a trade last offseason, and he was scheduled to make a non-guaranteed $10 million in base salary in the final year of the contract he signed in April 2016 to facilitate the trade.
Clady tore a rotator cuff in Week 3 of the 2016 season, according to the Jets, but he played through it for a month. It became unbearable, and he was placed on injured reserve after the ninth game.
ESPN's Rich Cimini contributed to this report.
