Former Pro Bowl safety Keanu Neal announced his retirement Sunday after playing eight NFL seasons.
Neal, 29, was a first-round draft pick (17th overall) in 2016 by the Atlanta Falcons and spent his first five seasons (2016-20) with the team. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2017 when he had a career-best 116 tackles.
Neal also played for the Dallas Cowboys (2021), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2022) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2023). He was released by the Steelers last March and didn’t play in 2024.
“Today, I am retiring from the NFL. Gods’ timing is always the right timing,” Neal wrote on Instagram.
“Wanna give a big thank you to the Atlanta Falcons for drafting and giving me a chance to make an impact. To the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Thank you for allowing me to continue my career with you. All top notch organizations. I am incredibly grateful for the coaches and teammates I had the privilege of working with along the way.”
Neal forced five fumbles as a rookie and three more in 2017 while topping 100 tackles both seasons as a hard-hitting safety.
But he was limited to just four total games over the next two seasons. Neal tore an ACL in the season opener in 2018 and sustained a torn Achilles in the third game in 2019.
He was a member of the 2016 Falcons, who lost that season’s Super Bowl to the New England Patriots. Neal had a game-high 13 tackles in the contest, best known for Atlanta blowing a 28-3 third-quarter lead and losing 34-28 in overtime.
Neal had 523 tackles, five fumble recoveries and four interceptions in 89 career games (69 starts). He played college football at Florida.
