The San Francisco 49ers have just suffered another crushing loss on defense, as long-time star defensive end Justin Smith has reportedly decided to hang up his cleats.
49ers' DT Justin Smith is retiring, sources tell @JimTrotter_NFL. Great player, big loss, in many ways.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 18, 2015
A former 2001 first round pick (No. 4 overall) out of Missouri, Smith spent his first seven seasons in Cincinnati, and the last seven in San Francisco. Remarkably, the soon-to-be 36-year-old only missed three contests during his 14-year career, appearing in 221 of a possible 224 regular season games with 217 career starts.
While he wasn’t sack machine (never reaching double-digit single-season sack totals), the extremely disruptive 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive lineman delivered impressive pass-rushing skills for a player of his size and position and was an incredible run-stopping force who constantly elevated the play of his teammates.
The five-time Pro Bowler recorded a total of 880 tackles with 87.0 sacks, 27 pass breakups, 17 forced fumbles and three interceptions. Smith was reportedly in “excellent shape” and training regularly at the 49ers’ facility and mulling retirement for the last several months.
His presence will be surely missed in the locker room and on the field.
The 49ers already lost star linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland to stunning early retirements earlier this offseason, and then lost versatile LB Dan Skuta, standout cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver, star guard Mike Iupati, running back Frank Gore and starting WRs Michael Crabtree and Stevie Johnson in free agency.
Though the club made a couple of savvy additions — WR Torrey Smith and DL Darnell Dockett — and added promising young talent through the draft, this team is bound to take a step back in 2015. It seems like every fan base around the league is optimistic for the upcoming season, except for the 49ers.
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