Steelers linebacker Markus Golden abruptly retires just before first ...

Markus Golden has decided to hang up his cleats for good. The veteran linebacker -- who recently re-signed with the Steelers -- retired just prior to Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Houston Texans.  

Golden, 33, spent last season for the Steelers and proved himself to be a valuable backup behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. He dressed for 16 games and tallied four sacks and a fumble recovery in his lone season in Pittsburgh. 

The 58th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Golden spent the majority of his career with the Arizona Cardinals. He tallied a career-high 12.5 sacks in 2016, his second NFL season. Golden had two other seasons with double-digit sacks, with the most recent one occurring in 2021. 

Along with Pittsburgh, Golden spent time with the Giants. In 2019 (his only full year in New York), Golden became the first Giants linebacker to record a double-digit sack season since Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. 

Golden finishes his career with 51 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 123 tackles (68 for loss) and one interception.