Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson is retiring from the NFL after playing nearly a decade in the league.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson is retiring from the NFL, he told Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 TV in Houston. Nelson spent nearly a decade in the NFL after coming out of Oregon State, and after another strong season in Houston, he had plenty of offers as a free agent. However, with a newborn on the way, Nelson decided it would be better to step away from football.
He started at the College of the Sequoias, a JUCO, before grinding his way to Oregon State. At Oregon State, Nelson earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 Honors en route to being selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Retirement, after thinking it over and having some talks with my family, I think it’s time for me to take a step back and spend more time with my family,” Nelson said. “We’re expecting a newborn this coming month and I wanted to devote all of my time and energy to that and various business ventures off the field. I’m extremely proud of what I was able to do in the game of football.”
In 2019, after four years in Kansas City, Nelson leaped and signed with the Steelers. He had two seasons in Pittsburgh before the team released him following the 2020 season. During his time with the team, he impressed in 2019 alongside Joe Haden, Mike Hilton, and Cam Sutton to help create one of the better secondaries in recent memory for the team.
Nelson found success after requesting his release. He signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 before joining the Houston Texans for two seasons in 2022 and 2023. All in all, he finishes his career with 13 interceptions and 456 tackles, though he did say he would leave the door open to a return.
“‘I always will keep my body in shape and will always be ready if the right opportunity comes or I feel like the timing is right and my heart is into, I’ll do it. As of now, I think it’s best for me to take a step back and just enjoy my family,” Nelson said.
Nelson’s career ended with one of his strongest seasons. He nabbed a pick-six off Joe Flacco in the Texans’ Wild Card Round victory, which summarized Nelson’s strong play in his age-31 season.
