Former Notre Dame football defensive end Ade Ogundeji has announced his retirement from the NFL.
Ogundeji made the announcement just ahead of NFL training camps, which are set to open this week. His inability to land a contract for the 2025 season and his struggles with playing time and injuries led to the decision to call it a career.
Ade Ogundeji retirement: Former Notre Dame football defensive end steps away from football
The former Notre Dame football player got his NFL career off to a good start. Despite being just a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft by the Atlanta Falcons, he played in all 16 games of his rookie season.
That year, he totaled 33 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, and a pass defended. The following season, he put up even better stats, a total of 42 tackles, 2 sacks, and a blocked kick. However, he didn't record a stat in 2023 and played in just three games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 before being released last October.
Ogundeji played for the Notre Dame football team from 2016 to 2020 and was a team captain in his final season in South Bend. That year he was also Reese’s Senior Bowl Top 250 pick, made the Pro Football Focus Preseason All-ACC Third Team, All-ACC Honorable Mention and was eventually invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl. During his playing days in South Bend, he racked up a total of 80 tackles and 13 sacks.
As part of his retirement announcement, Ade Ogundeji said: "I put everything I had in the sport and had absolutely zero regrets." Now he'll look at a career after football.