Report: Maurkice Pouncey Likely to Retire After 11-Year Career with Steelers

Maurkice Pouncey was emotional on the sidelines following the Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns, which makes sense considering it may have been his final career game.

According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the center told some teammates he is "likely retiring" unless he has a "change of heart." That would mean an 11-season career for the veteran center who Pittsburgh selected with a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft.

Pouncey may very well be on his way to the Hall of Fame.

He is a nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro selection who anchored the Pittsburgh offensive line for a decade. In fact, the only two times he didn't make the Pro Bowl were in 2013 when he appeared in just one game and 2015 when he missed the entire season.

About the only thing missing from the University of Florida product's resume is a Lombardi Trophy, and he came close when Pittsburgh made the Super Bowl during his rookie season.

The Steelers also made the playoffs in 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2020 with him leading the way for the rushing attack and helping keep Ben Roethlisberger upright on passing plays.

Pittsburgh may be in the middle of a transition, as there are questions about how effective Roethlisberger will be in the coming seasons after he turns 39 years old in March after he struggled with consistency down the stretch of the 2020 campaign.

Pouncey's retirement would surely be a part of that transition to a new core group of contributors.