Former Florida DB Keanu Neal announces NFL retirement after 8 seasons

Former Florida DB Keanu Neal is hanging up his cleats after 8 seasons in the NFL.

Neal took to social media on Sunday to announce his retirement from the NFL.

God has blessed my family and I in so many ways. Particularly in the game of football. 20 years ago, I started this journey. Today, I am retiring from the NFL,” Neal wrote in a post on Instagram. “Gods’ timing is always the right timing. 

“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. Sumter County, South Sumter High, Wolfpack, University of Florida, my family and friends. THANK YOU! All the lessons learned through the game has helped mold me into who I am today. #Enforcer

Neal played at Florida from 2013-15. He then declared for the 2016 NFL Draft and was selected No. 17 overall by the Atlanta Falcons.

Neal was a Falcon through the 2020 season. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2016 and made the Pro Bowl in 2017.

After his time in Atlanta, Neal was with the Dallas Cowboys (2021), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2022) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2023).

The Steelers released Neal in March 2024. At this point of the NFL offseason, Neal decided not to attempt a comeback.

Neal concludes his NFL career having played in 89 regular-season games, making 69 starts. In those games, he recorded 523 combined tackles and 22 passes defended with 4 interceptions along with 8 forced fumbles and 5 fumble recoveries. He missed most of the 2018 and ’19 seasons, playing in only 4 games those years.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.