Justin Smith Expected to Retire: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

After years of flirting with retirement, Justin Smith is expected to walk away. The San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman is expected to formally announce his retirement after 14 NFL seasons at some point this offseason.   

Continue for updates.

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Smith Still Deciding Football Future

Wednesday, March 11

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reported 49ers general manger Trent Baalke claimed Smith is still contemplating whether he should retire.

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Smith Expected to Retire

Monday, March 9

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Smith is expected to retire, along with confirmation that linebacker Patrick Willis is also stepping away. Florio claims a formal announcement from Willis will come on Tuesday.

There is no word on whether Smith will follow suit or wait the process out. According to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee, Smith is not "100 percent" certain on his decision.   

"I'm going to decide by next week probably," Smith said. "So you'll know by then. It's not 100 percent."

Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo reported the team "would explore options to limit the physical toll" on Smith and that a limited practice schedule is one option for that.   

Spotrac indicates that Smith, 35, was due to make $2.65 million in base salary in 2015. He will formally count against the 49ers' cap until he announces his retirement, which may have expedited his decision-making process.

A bit enigmatic during his seven years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith emerged as one of football's best defensive linemen in San Francisco. He earned five Pro Bowl berths and three All-Pro berths in seven seasons, including two team MVP awards.

In both 2011 and 2012, Smith was voted as an All-Pro as a defensive end and tackle because of the revolving nature of his role.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

While there was some slippage in 2014, Smith remained a wildly productive player. He registered 43 tackles and five sacks, forcing two fumbles while appearing in all 16 games.

Pro Football Focus ranked Smith second behind J.J. Watt among 3-4 defensive ends in run-stopping percentage, and his 21 quarterback hurries tied for eighth among qualifying players.

"I still think he’s got a lot of good football left in him," said former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in December, per Taylor Price of the team's official website. "I think he’ll do the right thing and take some time before he makes any decision and go from there. Would love to talk to him at any point."

Fangio is now the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, just one of a number of high-profile departures within the franchise. Gone are head coach Jim Harbaugh and a majority of his staff.

Also exiting are Willis and running back Frank Gore, who will sign with the Eagles once free agency begins, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Adam Caplan.

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Justin Smith is retiring too? What a rough day. 49ers heading into a rebuild.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) March 9, 2015"

Even if it's somewhat expected, Smith's departure will only serve to further make the 2015 49ers unrecognizable from their predecessors.

Assuming Smith makes it official, he will finish his career with 880 tackles and 87 sacks. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, he is 46th on the NFL's all-time sacks list.

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter @tylerconway22.