Terron Armstead Retires from NFL After 12 Seasons with Saints, Dolphins

Five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead is retiring after 12 NFL seasons, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.

Armstead most recently spent three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, where he made 15 starts in 2024.

He previously spent nine seasons in New Orleans after the Saints selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft.

Rapoport previously reported on Feb. 25 that Armstead was restructuring his contract to reduce his 2025 salary to the veteran minimum.

According to Rapoport, the move allowed the Dolphins "to make all the necessary moves they want to make" while keeping Armstead with the team "until he makes his decision on his future."

The report came hours after head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters the Dolphins were "operating as though we're moving on" from Armstead in free agency and the draft, per C. Isaiah Smalls II of the Miami Herald.

Despite that assertion, McDaniel told reporters as recently as this week that the Dolphins were "in constant communication" with Armstead about his decision.

The team could be expecting Patrick Paul, a 2024 second-round pick, to step up after making three starts during his rookie season, including two in Armstead's absence.

Miami could also decide to target the left tackle position in the upcoming draft. The franchise holds ten picks, including the No. 13, No. 48 and No. 98 selections in the first three rounds.

Armstead, who will turn 34 in July, just finished his healthiest campaign since joining the Dolphins in 2022. He was ranked as one of the best left tackles in the NFL by Pro Football Focus despite the knee injury that limited him for the last few weeks of the 2024 campaign.

He will retire from his playing career having played in 135 games and made 131 regular-season starts, in addition to 11 postseason appearances, for the Saints and Dolphins. Armstead earned all five of his Pro Bowl nominations during a dominant stretch between 2018 and 2023.