Linebacker Thought He’d Never Play Football Again Before Signing With Steelers

Getty Pittsburgh Steelers LB Myles Jack thought he’d never play football again when he retired in August.

Life has changed quickly for Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Myles Jack.

Back in November, Jack was in his third month of retirement when the Steelers came looking for somebody to give them added depth at linebacker.

It’s an opportunity Jack hadn’t been expecting to come when he retired in August.

On January 8, Jack said, via Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh, that he thought there was “a zero percent chance” he’d play football again when he retired.

https://x.com/FarabaughFB/status/1744425902966993364?s=20

Now Jack has at least one more week of football to play this week and could have some more teams calling him about playing football during the offseason.

A Surprising Retirement

When Jack decided he was going to retire, the move came as a surprise to football fans.

Jack had spent the previous year as a starter for the Steelers, making 13 starts over the course of the 2022 season.

In his first year in Pittsburgh, Jack topped 100 total tackles for the fourth time in five seasons.

Still, his play left a bit to desired for the Steelers and he ended up being released to save cap space during the 2023 offseason.

He took a while to find his way back onto an NFL roster, but eventually signed a 1-year deal with the Eagles in August.

2 weeks later, he announced that he would be retiring.

At the time, he was retiring surprisingly early into his career.

Jack had only played seven seasons after being drafted in the second round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He as also only 27 years old at the time.

In those first seven years, Jack made 617 total tackles, forced a pair of fumbles, and also scored a couple of touchdowns.

When he decided to call it a career, it seems like Jack still had something left in the tank and that has turned out to be the case as he has been a solid addition for the Steelers as they’ve worked their way into the playoffs.

Making an Impact From the Practice Squad

Despite being only being signed as a practice squad player when he joined the team at the end of November, Jack has already become an important part of the team’s rotation on defense.

Jack was elevated to the active roster in each of the regular season’s last three games and made his presence felt for the team.

In just his first action since deciding to retire, Jack racked up 6 tackles, a sack, and a pair of QB hits against the Bengals in Week 16.

The following week, he ended up in the starting lineup because of an injury to Elandon Roberts. Against the Seahawks, Jack was able to top his tackle total from the week before with 8 in Seattle.

This past weekend he went back to the bench as Roberts returned to the lineup, but he still made 3 tackles against the Ravens.

He’s back on the practice squd right now, but should be expected to return for the active roster for the matchup against the Bills.

Not bad for a guy that thought he was never going to play football again not too long ago.