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Pittsburgh Steelers veteran linebacker Vince Williams has notified the team of his retirement plans.
The Steelers confirmed that Williams, 31, will retire ahead of what would have been his ninth NFL season, all of which were spent with the franchise.
"Vince Williams notified us today that he will retire from the game of football," said Steelers General Manager and Vice President Kevin Colbert via Steelers.com. "We respect his decision and want to thank him for his time with us as he consistently showed great character and leadership in addition to his contributions on the field. We wish Vince and his family all the best."
Williams was initially released by the Steelers in March before re-signing with the team the following month.
The former Florida State University standout was selected by the Steelers at No. 206 overall in the sixth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Williams started in 69 regular season games and made 121 total appearances, recording 444 tackles, 48 tackles for loss, 43 quarterback hits, 20.5 sacks, five passes defensed, five fumble recoveries and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
Williams ranks 11th among in his draft class in career appearances, with all 10 players having been selected ahead of him in the 2013 NFL Draft.
The 31-year-old started in 14 games during the 2020 season, recording 70 tackles (47 solo), 14 tackles for loss (fifth among all NFL players), 3.0 sacks, four quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries.
Williams also recorded two or more tackles for loss during his first three games of the 2020 season and had 12 tackles for loss through six games for third most by a player through a six-game span since 1999.
All-Pro pass rushers J.J. Watt (Houston, 2012, 15) and Von Miller (Denver, 2012, 13) are the only two players with more tackles for loss in their first six games since 1999.