Colts star pass rusher Robert Mathis says he'll retire after Sunday's season finale
Mathis will walk away as the franchise's all-time leading sack leader
By
Will Brinson
•
1 min read
Longtime Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis announced on Friday he would retire following the 2016 season, meaning the Week 17 matchup against the Jaguars would be the last game of his career.
Mathis, the all-time leader in sacks for the Colts with 122 in his career, will go down as arguably the best pass rusher in franchise history and one of the great Indy draft steals of all time.
The Atlanta native was taken with a fifth-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft and immediately joined Dwight Freeney to form a dominant tandem for the Colts defense.
"This will be 98's last game." -@RobertMathis98
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 30, 2016
Share your favorite Robert Mathis memories using #ThankYou98. pic.twitter.com/kk3k7tebd0
Mathis will retire having only played for the Colts in his career, aptly describing himself as a "Colt for life" in an Instagram video he released thanking fans.
"Since 2003, you guys, you've embraced me. You love me and you accepted me," Mathis said. "And I'm here to say thanks, I love you guys and I'm a Colt for life. I bleed blue, through and through."
Mathis has a good case for Canton too, looming as one of many in a generation of dangerous pass rushers who will become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the next few years.
His 122 sacks ties him with Simeon Rice for 18th all time, with many of the guys ahead of him either still playing (DeMarcus Ware, Julius Peppers, Freeney), recently retired (Jared Allen) or already in Canton.
He's an interesting case for sure, but there's no doubt he's one of the greatest Colts to ever play for the franchise.
