Linebacker Sean Lee retires after 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys
Linebacker Sean Lee has finally made the inevitable, official.
He is retiring after 11 seemingly star-crossed and injury-plagued seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
He was the embodiment of a leader, captain and coach on the field.
And Lee, 34, played his role until the end, penning a letter to his teammates, coaches, ownership, the training staff and the game of football.
“For 11 seasons I was privileged to wear the Cowboys star. We want to play forever. But today, it’s my time to walk away,” Lee began the letter which was distributed in a news release by the Cowboys.
He concluded by saying that the game of football “changed my life.”
“Whenever I’m near a field, the smell brings me back to when I first started playing, pulling on a helmet, trying on those shoulder pads, that perfect tackle,” Lee said. “To think of the journey now, experiencing things I never thought possible with the men and women who make this game what it is, I’m beyond grateful.”
“Thank you, Cowboys Nation. It has been my honor.”
The Cowboys selected Lee as a second-round pick from Penn State in the 2010 NFL Draft.
He made two Pro Bowls, was named All-Pro once and led the Cowboys in tackles four times, but his inability to stay on the field due to injuries marked his time with the Cowboys.
He played a full 16 games just once in his career, as he battled hamstring, wrist, toe, neck, knee, concussion and core-muscle injuries.
He missed 10 games in 2012. He missed the 2014 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
He missed nine games in 2018 and sat out the first seven games in 2020 after undergoing sports hernia surgery in September.
But when he did play, he was the unquestioned leader of the defense and an impact performer, posting 995 tackles, starting 92 of the 118 games he played.
Lee also holds the club record for single-game tackles — 22 against the New York Giants in 2016 — while also owning five of the top seven tackle games in team history.
Lee topped the 100-tackle mark in six seasons, including a career-high 174 in 2016, and his 14 interceptions are fourth all-time among Dallas linebackers.
According to a source, Lee’s retirement did not catch the Cowboys by surprise and will have no impact on their decisions in this year’s NFL Draft, which begins Thursday and runs through Saturday.
He played largely as a backup the past three seasons.
And depth at linebacker was already a concern for the Cowboys, who have no proven returning returning contributors at the position outside of Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch.
Keanu Neal, who played safety with the Atlanta Falcons, was signed a free agent and will be moved to linebacker.
Lee’s departure also means that defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, picked in the second round in 2014, is now the team’s longest tenured defensive player.
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 12:37 PM.
