Former Steelers tackle Marcus Gilbert retires from the NFL

Monday was a big day for the Pittsburgh Steelers with Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert meeting face-to-face with media to talk about the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. But there was other news, maybe not a significant, which took place later in the afternoon. Around 2 p.m. ET former Steelers tackle, and second round draft pick, Marcus Gilbert took to Twitter to announce his retirement from the National Football League.

See his post below:

In Gilbert’s message he was sure to thank the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, the Rooney family, Kevin Colbert, former offensive line coach Sean Kugler and, of course, Mike Tomlin.

Drafted in the second round for the Steelers in the 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of Florida, Gilbert played every game of his NFL career in Pittsburgh. Between 88 regular season games and eight postseason games, the only game in which Gilbert played but did not start was in Week 16 of his rookie season.

Gilbert won the Steelers Rookie of the Year award in 2011 after starting 13 games. Winning the starting right tackle job in 2012, Gilbert only appeared in five games before suffering an injury and was lost for the season.

Ultimately, it was Gilbert’s injuries which defined the later portion of his career, as he only appeared in seven games in 2017 and five in 2018. Replaced by Matt Feiler, Gilbert became expendable in the offseason and was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2019 sixth-round pick.

Although with the Cardinals since 2019, Gilbert did not appear in a regular-season game for Arizona. Gilbert missed all of the 2019 season with a knee injury and opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

Gilbert was a tremendous draft pick and player for the Steelers, when he was healthy, and it is wroth looking back on a stellar career. We here at BTSC wish Gilbert nothing but the best in his future endeavors. As Chuck Noll once told his players, “It’s time to move on to your life’s work.”

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and note surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.