Levi Wallace announced his retirement from the NFL on Instagram Thursday, closing out an eight-year career that began as an undrafted free agent and included two seasons starting at cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Walk-on. Undrafted. 8 years. Retired. Not bad,” Wallace wrote alongside a highlight video marking the end of his playing days.
What Happened
Wallace made the announcement himself rather than through a team or reporter, posting the video directly to his personal account. There was no indication beforehand that retirement was coming, and no NFL team had signed him since his brief, injury-shortened stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars last August.
Pro Football Reference credits Wallace with 96 career games, 333 total tackles, 56 passes defended, and 12 interceptions across four franchises. He never missed a start due to performance, and every stop on his résumé came with him fighting for a roster spot rather than being handed one.
Wallace’s Time in Pittsburgh
Career Highlights
Wallace signed with the Steelers as a free agent in March 2022 on a two-year, $8 million deal. He started nine of 15 games that first season, finishing second on the team in interceptions behind Minkah Fitzpatrick with four picks and 13 passes defended.
His 2023 season looked similar on paper. Nine starts in 16 games, two interceptions, 38 tackles, and 11 passes defended. His final appearance in a Steelers uniform came in the Wild Card round against Buffalo, the team that gave him his first NFL shot, in a 31-17 loss.
Pittsburgh moved on from Cameron Sutton, Art Maulet and Ahkello Witherspoon that offseason and drafted Joey Porter Jr., which eventually pushed Wallace out of the starting lineup before injuries and suspensions cycled him back in. That churn defined his two years in Pittsburgh: he was never the flashiest name in the room, but he was reliable enough to keep getting the call.
Retirement Announcement
After Pittsburgh, Wallace signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos in April 2024 and started two of 13 games. He tried to extend his career one more year with Jacksonville in August 2025, but a lower-body injury landed him on injured reserve before he played a preseason snap. The Jaguars released him with an injury settlement, and no other team called.
Wallace’s path started at Alabama, where he won two national championships before going unselected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Buffalo signed him anyway, and he started seven games as a rookie before locking down the job opposite Tre’Davious White for four seasons, a run built on outperforming his draft status rather than living up to a pedigree.
Pittsburgh’s secondary now runs through Porter, Fitzpatrick, and Darnell Savage, part of a broader offseason effort to reshape the position group. Wallace played his final NFL season in the AFC North’s rival conference before finishing out west, where Jonathon Cooper’s arrest and the Broncos’ offensive line continuity have dominated Denver’s 2026 headlines since his departure.
Wallace’s career fits inside the broader picture of NFL longevity that shapes the league’s all-time rushing leaders and the structure of today’s eight NFL divisions, the same AFC North terrain he defended for two seasons in Pittsburgh.
The interceptions and tackle totals will fade from box scores, but the “walk-on to eight years” arc Wallace put in his own retirement caption is the part that sticks.
