Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ex-Titans DL Retires From NFL After Taking 2024 Season Off

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Levi Dombro | Last updated Mar 21, 2025 2:40 PM ET

The Tennessee Titans have become infamous for being one of the last stops in a historic player's NFL career. In recent memory, legendary players like Randy Moss, Andre Johnson and Adrian Peterson have all spent their last season in Tennessee before retiring.

However, a handful of players simply end their careers in Tennessee unceremoniously, with the Titans giving a player their last chance before they hang up their cleats. On Friday, former Titans defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson announced his retirement on Instagram after a seven-year NFL career. He last played for the Titans in 2023 before not being signed by an NFL team in 2024.

Johnson joined the Titans before the 2023 season after spending the previous six years with the Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons. He was originally a fourth-round selection by the Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft and played seven professional seasons.

In his lone year in Tennessee, Johnson played in 12 games, starting four, and collected 24 tackles and 1.0 sacks. Over his career, he totaled 149 tackles and 7.5 sacks, as well as 11 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. His best season was a 3.5-sack, 29-tackle campaign for the Vikings in 2019.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: