49ers' Justin Smith announces retirement after 14 seasons
Bringing an end to an impressive 14-year NFL career, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith announced his retirement from the league Monday.
Smith was selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls spanning from 2009-13, and was an integral part of the 49ers' three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances from 2011-13.
The 35-year-old recorded 87 career sacks over 14 seasons, but his impact on the game can't be measured by conventional statistics alone. Smith often occupied two defenders and consistently opened up lanes for linebackers to shoot through the A and B gaps.
Justin Smith played in 221 of 224 possible games over 14 seasons. That's just about impossible.
— Chris Sprow (@SprowESPN) May 18, 2015
Smith was selected fourth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft and spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was perpetually underrated. Along with linebacker Patrick Willis, who also announced his retirement this offseason, Smith was one of the foundational players in the 49ers' surge from mediocrity to perennial Super Bowl contender.
#49ers DT Justin Smith on his decision to retire: "If you don't have the tools, you can't do the job. It's time to go."
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) May 18, 2015
Aside from Willis and Smith, San Francisco also lost stalwart defender Chris Borland to retirement over the summer. With Jim Harbaugh accepting the head coaching position at the University of Michigan, the 49ers will be a drastically different unit than the one that suited up in 2014.