Steelers Now
A former edge rusher of the Pittsburgh Steelers has announced he is retiring from the NFL after just a few seasons.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Ade Ogundeji has retired from football, he announced in a post to social media.
“I was never perfect on or off the field even though I tried my hardest to be. However I put everything I had in the sport and had absolutely zero regrets. I realized now that I was made to serve for others and that this journey was only the beginning! Now I’m excited to take on the next step,” Ogunjedi wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone who got me here family, coaches, friends, and most importantly my teammates and brothers!”
Ogundeji is hanging up his cleats at the age of 26 after the Steelers released him last season and he was unable to find another team after that.
Pittsburgh originally signed Ogundeji to the practice squad on Aug. 30, and he was promoted to the active roster on Oct. 12, as the team was dealing with injuries to both Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig at outside linebacker. That started a series of back-and-forth roster moves for the Notre Dame product.
Ogundeji was waived on Oct. 14, re-signed to the practice squad on Oct. 16, promoted to the active roster once again on Oct. 19 and waived for a second time on Oct. 29. He was then brought back to the practice squad on Nov. 1.
Ogundeji played in three Steelers for the games. He played in 25 snaps against the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 13, recording one pass defended. He also played in each of the last two games against the New York Jets and Giants, on both defense and special teams.
A 6-foot-4, 268-pound edge rusher, Ogundeji first joined the Atlanta Falcons as a fifth-round draft pick out of Notre Dame in 2021. Ogundeji immediately became a regular in Atlanta, starting 11 games in his rookie season in 2021 and 16 games in 2022. In 2023, he missed the entire year due to foot and ankle injuries and Ogundeji was released by the Falcons on May 16.
In 2021, he recorded 33 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback hits, one pass defended and one forced fumble in 11 games. In 2022, Ogundeji had 42 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and one quarterback hit in 16 games.
A native of West Bloomfield, Michigan, Ogundeji redshirted his freshman season at Notre Dame in 2016 and played sparingly in 2017 before becoming a regular part of the rotation in 2018. His best collegiate season came in 2020, when he recorded 23 tackles and seven sacks in 12 games.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Edge Rusher Announces Retirement
