Steelers tight end Vance McDonald retires
Vance McDonald was Man of the Year, it turns out, during his final year as an NFL player.
McDonald announced his retirement Friday, six weeks after being named the Pittsburgh Steelers nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.
A 30-year-old tight end, McDonald said he made the decision to retire back in the spring. He and his wife, Kendi, are launching a nonprofit ministry in Ligonier, the Hidden Meadow Farm & Retreat.
“It just came down to feeling that call to just step away from football and step full time into our farm,” McDonald said during a video call with media Friday.
McDonald spent the past four of his eight NFL seasons with the Steelers. He had 117 catches for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns over 53 games for the Steelers, the team he joined via a trade late during the 2017 training camp.
“I don’t think it’s without reason. … I got traded here,” McDonald said. “We fell in love with this place, I fell in love with the team, I fell in love with the city, I fell in love with all the people. And not only planting our home but starting our ministry here. I truly believe God had his hand on us the entire time.”
Vance McDonald retires in the top ten of all-time Steelers tight ends in receiving yards. ? pic.twitter.com/siQEfl0PEJ
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 22, 2021
The Steelers held a contract option on McDonald for 2021 for a salary of $5.2 million, but it was highly unlikely they would have kept him at that rate. McDonald’s retirement leaves the Steelers with $2.73 million in “dead” money on their 2021 cap.
McDonald quickly became one of Ben Roethlisberger’s best friends on the team. Roethlisberger, who will be 39 in March, is not necessarily assured of playing an 18th season.
McDonald said he did not tell anyone in the organization about his retirement decision until after the team’s season ended with a playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns. He told Roethlisberger during what became a tearful hug in the middle of the Heinz Field locker room.
“We were both super sad,” McDonald said. “We embraced in a very manly way.
“I had some tears on my face, man. I was joyful more than anything in the moment because it was a decision I personally had thought of and came to terms with.”
McDonald joins fired offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner as a close confidant of Roethlisberger’s who is leaving the organization. Another one of his closest friends, center Maurkice Pouncey, also might consider retirement.
The Walter Payton Award recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service, as well as his playing excellence. McDonald was honored primarily because of his work with Convoy of Hope, a faith-based organization with which the Steelers teamed up with to stage “Huddle for the Holidays,” an outreach that provided necessities and the simple pleasures in life for 500 individuals, from kids to senior citizens.
The league-wide man of the year recipient will be announced next month on the eve of the Super Bowl.
Vance McDonald on his retirement from the Steelers pic.twitter.com/WxRWPIynpM
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 22, 2021
“I am appreciative of Vance’s contributions during the last four years of his career that he spent in Pittsburgh,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said a team-released statement. “He was a class act on and off the field, leading many of our efforts in the community while also being a voice for our social justice efforts and the community work during the pandemic. I wish he and his family nothing but the best in his retirement and his continued work to be a pillar in the community.”
Though he was acquired as a starter, McDonald became the Steelers’ No. 2 tight end in 2020 after the signing of Eric Ebron. His departure leaves the Steelers thin at the position after Ebron, with only a pair of players who have combined for 32 regular-season career NFL offensive snaps in Zach Gentry and Kevin Rader. Dax Raymond, a player with no NFL regular-season experience, was added to the tight ends corps via a reserve/future deal Thursday.
This past season, McDonald had 15 catches for 99 yards in 14 games. He missed time after testing positive for coronavirus and played 44% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps this season.
“I’ll definitely miss the game,” McDonald said. “I’ll miss the guys. I’ll miss the locker room. I’ll miss those moments— as uncomfortable as they are — with the pressure.
“I always just wanted to be a good soldier. I never wanted to present myself like I was in the way or I was baggage.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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