Two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva announced the end of his professional football career. Villanueva retires after seven seasons in the NFL, six of them with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Villanueva spent the 2021 NFL season with the Steelers’ division rivals Baltimore Ravens. He started all 17 games but delivered a disappointing campaign that saw him struggle to cover quarterback Lamar Jackson’s blindside. According to Pro Football Focus, the 33-year-old allowed 6.5 sacks last season while also being accountable for 10 penalties.
The Ravens will get their starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley back in 2022, so Villanueva’s retirement shouldn’t be too much of a blow for their offensive line. The move could even prove beneficial for the franchise since they will now save $6 million in salary-cap space after placing Villanueva on the reserve/retirement list.
Alejandro Villanueva attended United States Military Academy and played college football for Army Black Knights. After going undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft, Villanueva continued his military service and did three tours of duty in Afghanistan. However, he never abandoned his dream of playing professional football and had several attempts to break into the NFL.
Villanueva finally got a chance with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, who signed him to play defensive end. Philly released him before the season started, but the Pittsburgh Steelers immediately picked him up and added him to their practice squad to play offensive tackle.
After one year of learning the position on the practice squad, Villanueva got the starting job as Pittsburgh’s left tackle midway through 2015 and never looked back. He played 96 games (90 starts) with the Steelers through 2020.
