After an 11-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, 34-year-old offensive guard Ramon Foster has announced his retirement.
Ramon Foster was the second-longest tenured player on the Steelers’ roster behind only Ben Roethlisberger. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from the University of Tennessee in 2009.
Here is his statement as posted on the Steelers website from his Instagram post:
“When the time comes, you just know and now is the time for me to take a bow. I’ve made some friends for a lifetime, had some moments that I’ll never forget, and seen some things I never thought I would because of this game. First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife and sons. I also want to thank the Steelers organization – Coach (Mike) Tomlin, Mr. Art Rooney II, the late Ambassador (Dan) Rooney, and Kevin Colbert for making Pittsburgh feel like a family. There are so many more people I need to thank, including everyone on staff with the Steelers. I would also like to thank my teammates who made this journey something very special to me and my family – you guys were amazing. “Last but definitely not least, thank you to the best fans in all of sports. I’m glad to say I was a Steeler for life, and there is no other organization I would have rather played for in my career.”
Ramon Foster and His Illustrious Career
Foster saw the field in 2009 starting in four games. Though there were early struggles as can be expected with any undrafted player, Foster quickly became a role player. He started eight games in 2010 before officially taking over the starting left guard position in 2011.
Working in the Steelers power run game, Foster shined early as a overwhelming run blocker. It didn’t take long before his pass blocking skills became his most important and respected tool. From 2011 through 2018 Pro Football Focus graded Foster with a 72 or higher, peaking at 87.9 in 2016.
Foster started in 145 of the 160 games he played in his career, trailing only Alen Faneca in both regards for Pittsburgh guards all-time. Foster retires having appeared in one Super Bowl: Super Bowl 45.
In response to Foster’s retirement, head coach Mike Tomlin provided the following statement:
“I want to congratulate Ramon on his career in Pittsburgh. Ramon was class in every way, professional in every way, and I think his career is indicative of what this professional football journey should be about. He went from being an undrafted free agent to giving us over a decade of service at an extremely high level. I am honored to be associated with him and wish he and his family the best of luck in his retirement.”
Foster was widely regarded for his intelligence both on and off the field. He has served as the NFLPA union representative of the Steelers and has also taken charge of the team’s Social Justice Program over the past two seasons.
As the Steelers offseason continues on without Foster, his absence will be felt. Having retired halfway through a two-year, $8.25M contract, the Steelers open up roughly $4M in cap space. Behind Foster on the depth chart is long-time interior back-up B.J. Finney, who is set to become a free agent this offseason should the Steelers choose not to re-up the 28-year-old. Foster’s heir-apparent could be taken in the 2020 NFL Draft otherwise.
On behalf of Steelers Nation and Steelers Brawl, thank you, Ramon Foster.