Colts offensive lineman Joe Reitz announces his retirement from the NFL

Another surprise retirement has happened this offseason with the Indianapolis Colts, as today offensive lineman Joe Reitz announced his retirement from the NFL.

“Colts nation, Joe Reitz here,” he said in a video tweeted out by the team. “I wanted to let you guys know that I’ve decided to step away from the game I love and retire. I want to thank you for all your support in these last seven years, and as a native Hoosier I look forward to staying in this community for the rest of my life, getting a chance to interact with everybody, serve the great people of Indianapolis and Indiana, and look forward to being a Colts fan and sharing your passion for life. Thank you.”

During his seven-year career with the Colts, he played in 73 games and started 44 of them. Reitz started all over the offensive line while with the Colts, playing four of the five spots up front (both guard spots and both tackle spots). Reitz was a very solid offensive line option for the Colts, providing very good depth and many times stability even in the starting lineup. He’s a solid lineman, a good guy, and a well-liked teammate in the locker room.

Reitz is just the latest popular Colt to retire this offseason, joining outside linebacker Robert Mathis and punter Pat McAfee. With Mike Adams not returning in free agency either, it’s clear that the locker room will be quite different for the Colts next year. It also means that the Colts will need to focus on adding depth up front and improving that competition level, something that Chris Ballard has emphasized repeatedly.

In terms of financial aspects, Reitz’s retirement saves the Colts $2.4 million in cap space, giving them around $55 million to work with this offseason total.