Steelers make the Vance McDonald retirement official

Although the Pittsburgh Steelers said farewell to tight end Vance McDonald after his retirement last month, the team has finally made the move official by putting McDonald on the Reserve/Retire List.

Upon his retirement, McDonald released the following statement:

“My family and I are so grateful for everything NFL football has provided us in our life — all the memories both good and the difficult, the relationships and friends we’ve made along the way, the life lessons the game provided both me and my loved ones,” McDonald said in a statement released through the team. “It’s always been our dream and mission to leverage the platform given us through the NFL to help serve and uplift others along the way, and we will continue to find ways to serve others as we begin this next chapter of our lives. I am proud to retire a Steeler.”

For those who might wonder what significance this has on the roster, here is a breakdown of what McDonald going on the Reserve/Retire List means, per OverTheCap:

The retired list is what players are placed upon if they choose to retire rather than honor their contracts. This is more procedural than anything else. The player does not count towards the roster nor do they carry any cap charges as contracts are treated just as if the player was cut for salary cap purposes with prorated bonus money accelerating and being included as “dead money”. Teams do maintain the rights to players on the retired list. These lists are not included on the site.

With McDonald officially going on the aforementioned list, it clears his salary cap hit. You can expect Maurkice Pouncey to also be placed on this list soon, with the new league year coming in March and the Steelers already over the salary cap.

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the new league year, NFL Free Agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.