Former K.C. Chiefs offensive lineman Zach Fulton has announced his retirement from the National Football League just a week into training camp with the New York Giants, per Tom Rock of Newsday.
Giants are going to run out of gold watches. Another vet has retired. This time it’s OL Zach Fulton, who informed the team of his decision last night. Fulton joins Todd Davis, Joe Looney and Kelvin Benjamin as guys who have hung ‘em up so far this training camp.
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) August 6, 2021
Fulton signed with the Giants this last March in free agency as a way to bolster the interior. Unfortunately, the Giants will never enjoy the benefits of Fulton’s experience and versatility as Fulton has decided that seven full seasons in the league is enough.
Fulton was originally a sixth-round find by former Chiefs general manager John Dorsey back in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Chiefs actually had two sixth round picks in that draft and took Fulton out of Tennessee and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif as a project from McGill University in Montreal. Between the two, Dorsey’s investments turned into 167 games played at the NFL level, including several years as a starting lineman for both.
The Chiefs allowed Fulton to leave in free agency when the Houston Texans backed up the proverbial truck to pay him big money. Fulton landed a four-year deal back in 2018 worth up to $28 million and played through the majority of the deal, but the Texans released him as a cost-cutting measure in March. That’s when the Giants swept in and signed him to a one-year deal worth just over $1.2 million.
In his career, Fulton played in a total of seven seasons and played 106 games in that span (90 starts), serving as a starting-caliber at both left guard, center, and right guard at times for both the Chiefs and Texans.