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Atlanta Falcons right tackle Kaleb McGary will reportedly retire at age 31, according to his agent, Collin Roberts. McGary missed the entire 2025-2026 season after suffering a significant knee injury last August.
He signed a $30 million contract extension last summer that was set to expire after the 2027 season. The Falcons will reportedly be able to recoup some of that salary after his retirement.
“I truly enjoyed my time playing alongside Kaleb,” Atlanta Falcons President of Football Matt Ryan, who played with McGary from 2019-2021 said. “He was an outstanding teammate and had a tremendous career as a Falcon. We are grateful for the impact he made on this organization, and we wish him nothing but the best in retirement.”
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While Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski did not give an update about McGary’s current status, he was reportedly expecting to get him back before training camp. With Elijah Wilkinson, who filled in for McGary at right tackle last season, signing with the Arizona Cardinals, the Falcons have Storm Norton and Michael Jerrell on the roster at right tackle. Norton also missed all of last season with an ankle injury.
The Falcons can also try to address the need with a veteran stopgap during free agency and a younger replacement in the draft.
Right tackle could be one of the most important positions on the Falcons’ offensive line next season, as their job is to protect the blindside of the team’s left-handed quarterback room.
McGary walks away after six seasons and 92 starts at tackle, spending his entire career with the Falcons. He proved to be mainly durable, playing at least 14 games in every season until last year. While McGary was never selected to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, he was a key cog on a Falcons offensive line that was one of the best run-blocking units in the NFL when at full strength, helping block for All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson.
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Before McGary was drafted by Atlanta with the 31st overall pick in 2019, he was a two-time First-team All-Pac-12 selection and won the Morris Trophy at the University of Washington.
McGary is the latest of several recent NFL offensive linemen to walk away from football at age 33 or younger. He joins former Falcons teammate Drew Dalman, along with Ryan Kelly, Bradley Bozeman, Rob Havenstein, Yosh Nijman and Dan Skipper, in retiring this offseason. Former Lions center Frank Ragnow surprisingly retired last offseason after injuries took a toll. He attempted to unretire in the middle of last season but remained retired after failing his physical.
