'I will be a Titan forever': Former Tennessee Titans Pro Bowl DL Jurrell Casey retiring after 10 NFL seasons

Jurrell Casey is hanging up the cleats. 

The former Tennessee Titans star defensive lineman, who spent nine years with the team, is retiring after 10 NFL seasons, the franchise announced Thursday. 

A 2011 third-round pick of the Titans out of USC, Casey played in Tennessee from 2011-19. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, six-time defensive captain and a two-time Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee with the franchise. 

"My career, it was amazing, just to have the opportunity to play this game," Casey said. "It was beautiful. I always tried to play to the best of my ability, and always considered it an honor. 

"To be able to get drafted by Tennessee, and to be able to live out a lifetime dream is everything a young man from Long Beach, California could dream of. All the relationships that I made along the way, we had a brotherhood. And Tennessee, it was a great place to call home for me and my family."

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Casey's 51 sacks rank second in the franchise's Titans era (1999-present) behind Jevon Kearse. His five Pro Bowl nods came in consecutive years (2015-19), and he joined Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins and Fletcher Cox as the NFL's only other defensive linemen to notch that number in the same span. 

Casey was a beloved Titan and long known for his work in the community. He and his wife, Ryann, founded The Casey Fund — a nonprofit dedicated to raising money for re-entry programs, inner-city youth programs, mentoring and halfway houses — and he also served as a spokesperson for United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. 

"This is a proud day for Jurrell, his family and the Titans family," controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said. "There is no greater model for what a player can achieve both on the field and in the community than Jurrell. ...  On the field, he was a force and helped establish a standard as we rebuilt a culture of success during his tenure, ultimately serving as a captain on the 2019 team that advanced to the AFC Championship Game.

"On behalf of our entire organization, I congratulate him on a fantastic career, and we will always consider him part of the Titans family. I look forward to seeing what is next for him because I know that no matter what is in store he will continue to make those around him better."

The Titans traded Casey to the Broncos in March 2020 for a seventh-round pick. He played three games with Denver last season, the only in his NFL career apart from the Titans. 

Casey acknowledged he was hurt when he was traded. Last June, he said on a podcast that he was thrown away "like a piece of trash."

"I love the Titans organization – that was never a doubt in my mind," Casey said. "They drafted me, and they gave me an opportunity in life. You sometimes have bad feelings about things, but like I told (GM) Jon Robinson when I told him I wanted to retire a Titan, I told him I apologize for the comments I made, those were my feelings at the time, but not every feeling needs to be said to the public. I should have held on to it, knowing this is a business. It wasn't personal, and they did me a favor at the end of the day by trading me and giving me a chance to keep playing and making money for my family.

"But the Titans, they gave me the blessing to be here. … I was upset at the time (when I was traded), but that doesn't change the fact I love the Tennessee Titans and I will always love them. I will be a Titan forever."

Casey had  117 quarterback hits, 507 tackles (including 85 for loss), 15 passes defensed and eight forced fumbles in 142 games (140 starts) in 10 NFL seasons. 

He will officially announce his retirement at 1 p.m. Thursday in a press conference at Nissan Stadium.