Longtime Tennessee Titan Delanie Walker Retires After 14-Year Career

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Delanie Walker. Photo: Courtesy of the Tennessee Titans

Former Tennessee Titan tight end Delanie Walker has announced his retirement after 14 seasons in the NFL, spending seven of them with the Titans.

Walker was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2006 NFL Draft and was with the team until 2012. With the 49ers, he caught 123 passes for 1,465 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2013, the Titans signed him as a free agent and he quickly became one of the best free agency signings in franchise history.

“I know no one knew who I was when I got here. They probably thought, ‘Why did we get this guy?'” Walker shared in a press conference. “The guys, coaches, and staff that were here believed in me, They said, ‘It’s all up to you. You have the chance to be great, you just got to take it and run with it,'” he recalled. “I looked at that as an opportunity. I knew what I could do in this league, I just needed the opportunity to show it. The Titans gave me that opportunity. That’s why I’m here to retire because all my best years in football started here in Tennessee.”

Walker was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015, 2016 and 2017 while with the Titans, and made 381 catches for 4,423 yards and 28 TDs. During a four-year stretch from 2014-2017, Walker earned more than 800 yards each campaign and caught 20 TDs. He posted a career-high 1,088 yards in 2015–the first of his three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons.

“Of all the accolades he had on the field–there are [too many] to name–there are four things that impress me about Delanie,” Titans General Manager Jon Robinson explained. “One was his work ethic. Two was his toughness. Three was his leadership, and four was his commitment and service to the community around here.”

Walker has served the Nashville community in many ways, most notably with his Delanie Walker Gives Back Foundation, which provided educational opportunities and resources to inner-city and low-income children. He was the Titans nominees for the Walter NFL Payton Man of the Year Award in 2013 and 2015.

He finishes his celebrated career with 504 catches for 5,888 yards and 36 touchdown receptions.

Steven Boero
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