Gosder Cherilus Retires from NFL After 9 Seasons

Offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday after a nine-year career.

The 32-year-old Boston College product confirmed his decision on social media:

Cherilus entered the league as the No. 17 pick in the 2008 draft and played for the Detroit Lions from 2008 to 2012, the Indianapolis Colts from 2013 to 2014 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2015 to 2016.

He was durable, appearing in at least 12 games every season. He played all 16 as a rookie, as well as three straight from 2011 to 2013.

However, he struggled in 2016 with the Buccaneers. Pro Football Focus gave him a 42.2 grade in its free-agency tracker, lower than all but 10 offensive tackles on the list.

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus ranked Tampa Bay's offensive line as the No. 23 unit in the league in 2016 and placed some of the blame on Cherilus.

"The line wasn't helped when injury forced them to bring Gosder Cherilus into the lineup at right tackle, as he was beaten for three sacks and two hurries in just two games starting before being sent back to the bench to end the year," Monson wrote.

Tony Medero of USA Today pointed to Cherilus' critical missed block in Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys—which gave David Irving a free path to quarterback Jameis Winston—as an example of Cherilus' drop-off.

Cherilus was a stalwart right tackle during his time with the Lions and Colts. His physical skills started to fade last season, however, which forced him into a reserve role and was likely a factor in his decision to walk away from the NFL after nearly a decade.