After a dozen years in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, cornerback Ike Taylor is retiring from the NFL.
Taylor, an unrestricted free agent, was a fourth-round selection by Pittsburgh in the 2003 draft out of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Steelers drafted recently retired Troy Polamalu in the first round of the same draft.
“Other than having my son, playing for the Steelers has been the best experience in my entire lifetime,” Taylor said in a press release. “It is rare, in this day of free agency that is super rare to play for one team. For me to have this opportunity says a lot about how they felt about me, what I gave back to the organization.
“I wasn’t cut, I wasn’t released. It was just my contract was up and it was time to retire. If you want to have pride, well that is the kind of pride I have, being able to play my contract out.”
Taylor started 135 games and finished his career with 517 total tackles, 14 interceptions, three sacks, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.