Long-Time Steelers CB Ike Taylor Retiring From NFL

The Steelers announced that long-time CB Ike Taylor has retired from the NFL after 12 seasons.

“Other than having my son, playing for the Steelers has been the best experience in my entire lifetime,” said Taylor. “It is rare, in this day of free agency that is super rare to play for one team. For me to have this opportunity says a lot about how they felt about me, what I gave back to the organization.

“I wasn’t cut, I wasn’t released. It was just my contract was up and it was time to retire. If you want to have pride, well that is the kind of pride I have, being able to play my contract out.”

“From the time I walked in the door until the time I left, this is where I wanted to be,” said Taylor. “How the organization is, the locker room, you see why we win. When I became a free agent twice it made my decision easy.

“The Steelers speak for themselves. When you talk about the Steelers, you talk about success. You talk about Pittsburgh, the first thing people talk about is the Steelers. There has been pride since the 1970s and we were able to recreate that pride in the 2000s. We went to three Super Bowls and won two. I thought that was the way it was supposed to be. We were loving each other and having so much fun in that locker room.”

There has been talk that Taylor will pursue a career in Television, so this really isn’t the most surprising news, especially when you consider that he’s found no reported interest.

Taylor, 34, is a former fourth-round pick of the Steelers back in 2003. He appeared in 174 games over the course of his career and recorded 517 tackle, 14 interceptions, two forced fumbles, five recoveries and 133 pass defenses.