Former first-round pick Keanu Neal, who spent eight seasons in the NFL primarily as a safety, announced his retirement Sunday.
Neal, 29, played for the Falcons for five seasons after being selected 17th overall by Atlanta in the 2016 NFL Draft.
After starring at the University of Florida, Neal went on to make the Super Bowl as a rookie and the Pro Bowl in his second season with the Falcons.
His career was derailed the next season by a torn ACL and then Neal suffered another season-ending injury in 2019 when he went down with a torn Achilles tendon.
Neal came back to play in 15 games with the Falcons in 2020 before he signed with the Dallas Cowboys, where his former coach with Atlanta, Dan Quinn, was the defensive coordinator.
The following season brought him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and finished his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023.
Pittsburgh placed Neal on injured reserve midway through the ‘23 season and he was released by the team in March after a failed physical.
On Instagram, Neal was thankful for his career.
“Wanna give a big thank you to the Atlanta Falcons for drafting and giving me a chance to make an impact,’’ Neal wrote. “To the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Bucs and Pittsburgh Steelers: Thank you for allowing me to continue my career with you. All top notch organizations.
“I am incredibly grateful for the coaches and teammates I had the privilege of working with along the way. Sumter County, South Sumter High, Wolfpack, University of Florida, my family and friends.. THANK YOU! All the lessons learned through the game has helped mold me into who I am today.”
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