Four-time Pro Bowl guard Mike Iupati retires from NFL

Seattle Seahawks guard Mike Iupati first signed with the club in March 2019 and spent the last two years with the organization. It turns out those were the final seasons of his 11-year career. 

Iupati told Peter Harriman of the Spokesman-Review that he's retiring from the NFL. 

"My body was telling me it was time to close the door," the four-time Pro Bowl selection explained. "My goal was to hit 10 years." 

As ESPN's Brady Henderson wrote, Iupati missed six games last season because of injuries to his knee, back and neck. Harriman added that "a chronic neck condition" was what convinced Iupati to hang his cleats up for good. 

"I know I’m going to miss it. But I’m kind of excited. I’ve got four boys (ages 8, 6, 3, and newborn) and I’m taking care of them every day," Iupati told Harriman.

Iupati made his only First-team All-Pro appearance in 2012 while playing for the San Francisco 49ers, the club that selected him out of Idaho in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The 33-year-old was set to become a free agent and likely would've received offers if not for the neck problem. 

Iupati made Pro Bowl squads every season from 2012 through 2015.