Former Chiefs WR Gehrig Dieter retires from football

Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter says he’s now retired from the sport following his release earlier this spring.

Earlier this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs waved goodbye to a familiar face from the last half-decade when they made the decision to release wide receiver Gehrig Dieter among a number of others intended to free up roster space for new prospects. That transaction ended up being the final one in an unexpectedly long pro journey for Dieter, who decided to call it a career on Wednesday.

Dieter took to Twitter to make the announcement saying “Thank you for everything KC. Been a crazy journey!” You can see the announcement below:

The Chiefs first signed Dieter to a rookie free agent deal shortly after the 2017 NFL Draft came and went without a team submitting his name. Dieter had hoped to sweeten his draft stock and pro potential by transferring from Bowling Green University to Alabama the previous season, but at least he’d earned a longer look from the Chiefs who decided to give him a real chance to make the roster.

As an undrafted player, Dieter faced the same uphill climb as any other fringe prospect and, to his credit, he managed to stick around on the practice squad that first year. Even more impressive was his ability to earn the trust of the coaching staff for further reps on special teams for 10 total games from 2018-20.

Dieter was never an offensive factor at any point, having caught only 2 passes for 32 yards in his five year career, but his ability to stay in orbit around the team into a sixth offseason is notable in itself. It’s also nice that he retires with a Super Bowl ring as well.