Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker L.J. Fort is hanging up his spikes.
Following an 8-year NFL career, he announced his retirement on Instagram.
"I didn’t get picked up until Thursday after the draft, preparing to start another career," the caption read. "All I needed was an opportunity and I’m forever thankful to the ones who gave me just that! Never could have imagined 10 years in the game! Thank you to all my family, friends, teammates, agent, trainers, staff, and organizations who helped me turn my childhood dream into a reality! It doesn’t matter how you start, ignore the circumstances and get to work!"
Fort went undrafted out of Northern Iowa in 2012 and proceeded to sign with the Cleveland Browns. He made the team's 53-man roster and appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, logging 332 special teams snaps and 97 on defense while finishing with 20 tackles and an interception.
He did not appear in a contest during the 2013 campaign. Fort signed a futures contract with the Denver Broncos that December, but was let go at final roster cuts ahead of the 2014 season.
Following short stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots, Fort eventually found his way to the Steelers in August 2015.
He quickly became a core special teamer, receiving 826 reps on that side of the ball across his four-year stint in Pittsburgh. Furthermore, Fort finished with 63 total tackles and two sacks in 44 games with the team.
He signed a three-year deal worth $5.5 million with the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2019, though he'd only appear in four games for them before being released.
Fort's final destination in the NFL was the Baltimore Ravens, where he posted 88 tackles and two fumble recoveries over 26 games between the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.
