Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers left guard Ramon Foster has announced his retirement after spending 11 seasons in the black and gold. Foster was undrafted out of Tennessee in 2009 before starting 145 games for the Steelers. He announced his retirement Monday on Instagram.
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Ramon Foster Announces Retirement
Ramon Foster will surely be missed by his teammates and of course Steelers fans around the world. Not only did he become a staple on Pittsburgh’s elite offensive line during his career, but he was also one of the leaders in the locker room. To an extent, Foster was like a father figure to the younger players in Pittsburgh’s locker room. He has always spoken out on issues he finds to be important and has consistently given back to the community during his career.
Entering this offseason, it was a real possibility that Ramon Foster would be let go by the Steelers. They are hurting for cap space and Foster was on the short list of potential cuts to save money. The good news about his retirement is that the team and fans don’t have to go through the emotional process of letting go of a beloved veteran. Details aren’t clear at this time, but this could be a situation where Foster preferred to retire than play for a team other than the Steelers. There were reports that the team was trying to shop Foster. The same reports said that if the team couldn’t complete a trade for Foster, they were likely to release him.
Ramon Foster was the second longest-tenured Steelers player behind only Ben Roethlisberger. It will not be easy for the team to replace not only Foster’s play, but also his leadership in the locker room. Pittsburgh has a few options with regards to their offensive line construction for next year. Whatever they decide, there might be bumps in the road at first, as it will not be easy to replace a full time starter from the past nine seasons.
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