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Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek has announced his retirement from the NFL. Celek made the announcement on Friday in a letter to fans on the Eagles website. Celek, 33, was a fifth round pick by the Eagles in the 2007 NFL Draft. He spent his entire career in Philadelphia. Last season, he pulled in 13 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in 16 games.
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The University of Cincinnati product missed just one game during his Eagles tenure.
"For the last few months, as I arrived at this decision, I have been able to reflect on my career," Celek wrote.
He went on to list his favorite memories and thank teammates, fans and others who were alongside him during his NFL career. Celek said he plans to sell real estate.
"Thank you to all the fans who have supported me along the way," Celek wrote. "I was just a kid from Cincinnati with a dream to play in the NFL, a kid who wasn't invited to the combine and wasn't a top pick. I was guaranteed nothing, but I believed in myself - and now I bleed green, for life."
"To all the young kids out there: Dream Big. Work hard, and believe in yourself. Anything is possible. Philadelphia, I thank you for making me one of YOU. I hope this is just the beginning of our journey together. And know this: I'm at peace with this decision, because as stressful as the beginning of my career was - before I got the call from Andy Reid that day in my parents' basement - the ending was as blissful as I could ever imagine."
