Longtime NFL offensive lineman Wade Smith announced today that he has decided to end his playing career. Smith, who last spent time with the Eagles in 2014, wrote that he “wouldn’t change a thing” about his 12 years in the NFL (Instagram link).
“I’m moving on to my next stage in life, with a smile on my face, knowing that I gave everything I had to the game, and to the guys in the huddle that counted one me,” Smith wrote. “The NFL is a brotherhood that is second to none and I’m honored to be able to say that I am part of the family.”
A third-round pick by the Dolphins in 2003, Smith played just 22 games in Miami before moving on to spend time with the Jets, Chiefs, Texans, and Eagles over the course of the next decade. The veteran lineman, who turns 34 later this month, had his best run as Houston’s starting left guard from 2010 to 2013, playing all 64 regular season contests for the Texans during that stretch and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2012.
For his career, Smith – who wasn’t currently under contract with an NFL team – played in 143 games, starting 98 of them.