On Tuesday, Bears tight end Zach Miller took to social media to announce his retirement from football. Miller recently indicated that the door was still open to playing, but upon further reflection, he has decided to walk away from the game due to health and safety concerns. 
“The time has come to move on from playing the game of football,” Miller wrote on Instagram. “It has been an incredible journey for myself and my entire family and we can’t thank you enough for your continued support. I would love more than anything to step on Soldier Field one last time but I physically cannot give the game and our fans what they deserve.”
Miller, who spent the first three seasons of his career as an afterthought in Jacksonville, did his best work with the Bears between the 2015 and 2017 seasons. In 2016, Miller caught a career-high 47 passes and 486 yards with four touchdowns. In ’17, he was on pace for similar stats with 20 grabs for 236 yards and two TDs before his devastating injury in October.
Last year, doctors told Miller that he was at risk for losing his leg after he severely dislocated his left knee and tore his popliteal artery. Thankfully, after nine surgeries, Miller’s knee is safe. Still, it’s probably for the best that Miller does not play football again.
Miller also did great work for the Seahawks. He didn’t have as many catches, but that is because he had to block as the line wasn’t very good. He was great at that.
Different Zach Miller. That Zach Miller started with the Raiders.
Good call
Man, this guy really did have talent and showed it when the Bears were a shadow of the current team. Wish he would’ve had a chance to play with this roster. Heroic effort but sadly, not meant to be. As a side note, it’s pretty cool that the Bears resigned him to a nice deal last year when it was obvious even then, he wasn’t gonna make it back… Good luck, Zach!
The fact that he even attempted to come back is amazing to me. That injury was brutal. I loved watching him play and hope the Bears bring him back as an honorary captain or to do the coin toss for a game next year. Soldier Field would go nuts for him.
I think after 9 surgeries and almost losing a leg is a darn good reason to hang up the cleats! I hope he saved his money and enjoys walking while he can because once he gets into his 60’s arthritis is going to be a bitch for him. Many don’t realize that once you have even one surgery, you will get arthritis in that area so 9 surgeries is just going to be a mess for him to deal with. He will be walking with a limp and a walker sooner than he thinks.
Glad he was able to keep his leg and I wish him the best in his future endeavors