Former Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz has officially announced his retirement from the NFL after a stellar career.
One of the greatest free agent signing in Kansas City Chiefs history announced his retirement from the National Football League on Thursday when Mitchell Schwartz posted on Twitter that he was officially leaving the game he dominated for so long.
On Thursday, Schwartz, who was the Chiefs’ best offensive lineman in decades, posted on Twitter that he was “walking away feeling fulfilled” after nine years playing at the highest level.
His full explanation is worth a read on Twitter but you can find it here:
Career update: pic.twitter.com/4q3l6fZbHM
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) July 14, 2022
The Chiefs signed Schwartz as a free agent before the 2016 season, and he would go on to earn four All-Pro nods while manning the right tackle position for the Chiefs in the next five seasons. Somehow, even as Pro Bowl appearances eluded him, Schwartz would turn in one exemplary season after another, even as he was also the single most reliable player in the game with an ironman streak that lasted 7,894 consecutive snaps.
A back injury suffered in preparation for Week 6 of the 2020 season against the Buffalo Bills would ultimately spell the end of his playing career, as Schwartz was never able to return to duty. What was once a week-to-week injury became an ongoing concern and landed him on injured reserve by late November. The Chiefs would ultimately release Schwartz that next offseason after he had back surgery as part of a complete rebuild of the offensive line—one that featured the drafting of his hopeful replacement in Lucas Niang.
Schwartz not only held down the right tackle position for years but he also helped deliver a Super Bowl victory for a franchise that had not celebrated one in 50 seasons. He originally entered the NFL with the Cleveland Browns as a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and finished with 134 career starts between the Chiefs and Browns. .