OL Blythe retiring from NFL after seven seasons

Veteran offensive lineman Austin Blythe announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons on Tuesday.

“The last 7 years have been nothing short of amazing,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “For a short, unathletic, undersized kid from Iowa, I’ve played a lot of football, met countless coaches and teammates that I can call friends, and made enough memories for myself and my family to last a lifetime. I am so grateful, and extremely blessed, to have played the game for any amount of time, let alone 7 years.”

Blythe, 30, spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks after signing a one-year, $4 million deal. He started every game and finished 13th in ESPN’s pass block win rate among centers.

The 6-foot-2, 298-pounder repeatedly drew praise from teammates and coaches for his ability to get the rest of the offensive line on the same page before the snap, with position coach Andy Dickerson at one point referring to him as an “elite communicator.”

A seventh-round draft pick out of Iowa in 2016, Blythe spent his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts and then the next four with the Los Angeles Rams, for whom he played both center and right guard. Blythe started 48 regular-season games for the Rams and five more in the playoffs, including their loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

Blythe spent the 2021 season as a backup with the Kansas City Chiefs before signing with Seattle, reuniting with Dickerson and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who were Rams assistants during Blythe’s stint with the team.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

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