December 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff (47) leaves the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Bryce Huff retired from the NFL on Thursday at the age of 27.
The San Francisco 49ers defensive end revealed his decision in a video posted to his Instagram Story.
“I’m retiring from football,” Huff said. “I started playing soccer when I was four. Growing up, I wasn’t the biggest or strongest person and I didn’t have many friends. All I had was the game. Soccer kept me grounded. It gave me something to hold on to.”
Huff left Memphis undrafted and joined the New York Jets in 2020. He spent four of his six NFL seasons there and signed a three-year, $51.1 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024. It was the richest contract for an undrafted free agent other than a quarterback in NFL history.
A wrist injury sidelined him for 12 games and two playoff games with the Eagles. He did not play in the team’s Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
He was traded to the 49ers, reuniting him with former Jets coach Robert Saleh, who was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2025.
In 81 career games (21 starts), Huff has recorded 108 tackles, 24 sacks and four forced fumbles. His best season came in 2023, when he piled up 10 sacks for the Jets but never started as part of the D-line rotation.
“I realized something through all of this: Football has been my whole life,” Huff said in his video. “I’ve been playing since I was 4, but now that I’m 27, I know I can give the world more than just football.”
Huff said he is starting a company to build safety infrastructure for lithium-ion batteries.
According to Pro Football Talk, Huff received a $1 million roster bonus from the 49ers on Friday.
–Field level media
