Stefen Wisniewski retires as an underrated, important piece in KC Chiefs history

On the verge of trying to find a home for yet another season, former K.C. Chiefs offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski has decided to announce his retirement from the game instead with 10 full seasons under his belt.

Wisniewski, who played for five different franchises during his tenure, took to Twitter to share the news. You can see the announcement here.

From the announcement, Wisniewski says “my body, my mind and my heart are telling me it’s time to move on.” He then went on to post a further announcement that explains more than he could in a short video.

Wisniewski was an underrated but important cog in the offensive line for the incredibly potent offense for the Chiefs during their Super Bowl run in the 2019 season. The Chiefs first signed him in October of that season after watching both left tackle Eric Fisher and left guard Andrew Wylie go down with injury. They’d also released Ryan Hunter after a lackluster performance against the Colts, so the addition of Wisniewski gave them a vital veteran boost at a key time.

From there, Wisniewski would provide occasional offensive snaps before settling as a starter for the stretch run, a five-game streak that included the last two games of the regular season and every postseason game. It was in those final games that the Chiefs pulled off their historic trio of comebacks including a come-from-behind win on the arm of Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIV.

The following offseason, the Chiefs wanted to bring Wisniewski back but his hometown team came calling with a deal and Wisniewski couldn’t deny himself the chance to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately he was injured early in the year and the team released him with an injury settlement. At that point, the Chiefs re-signed Wisniewski and he eventually found his way back into the starting lineup once again for an offensive line that was decimated by injuries.

Wiśniewski entered the NFL as a familiar face for Chiefs Kingdom, as a second round pick of the Oakland Raiders back in the 2011 NFL Draft. From there, he would play out his rookie deal before taking a free agent deal to play with the Jacksonville Jaguars for one season before joining the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won his first Super Bowl title as a player in 2017.

A versatile lineman who could play any interior position along the line, Wisniewski started 106 games in his NFL career.