Former Arizona standout Earl Mitchell retires from NFL

Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

After being unable to find a team to play for this season, former Arizona Wildcats standout Earl Mitchell has decided to hang up his football cleats at the age of 32.

Mitchell formally announced his retirement on Instagram on Thursday:

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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Begin with the end in mind"⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I thought that I would be sad when I decided to let go of something I've loved for so long. I feel grateful to walk away with no regrets knowing I gave it my all. After 9 great years, I’m officially retiring from the National Football League. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Since 2002 I've dedicated my life to this game. When I first stepped into the locker room at North Shore, I decided to put my all into learning something that I knew nothing about. If it wasn’t for this game I would have never been able to achieve my original dream of going to and graduating college. I'm extremely proud of my career and I appreciate all of those who have supported me along the way. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀Translation: I can no longer give out “loans” or free money. Thank you - EMFM

A post shared by Southpaw (@earlmitchell90) on Nov 7, 2019 at 11:02am PST

The nine-year NFL veteran played defensive tackle for the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers from 2010-18, making 66 starts. The Houston native was a third-round pick of the Texans in the 2011 NFL Draft after playing for the UA from 2006-09.

At Arizona, Mitchell began as a running back but as a junior in 2008 converted to the defensive side and had eight sacks with 18 tackles for loss in his final two seasons.

Mitchell, who was released by the 49ers after the 2018 season, signed with the Seattle Seahawks in the summer but did not make the team out of training camp.

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