Indianapolis Colts 2017 draft pick announces NFL retirement

Indianapolis Colts 2017 draft pick announces NFL retirement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

A former draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2017 announced his retirement from the NFL on Sunday.

Offensive lineman Zach Banner took to his podcast to reveal the news of his retirement. Banner hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2021 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Banner was a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Colts, but never played a regular-season game with the team after being waived in September of his rookie campaign.

He then spent a season with the Cleveland Browns before heading to Pittsburgh, where he would find a home for the next few years.

Banner was even set to take on a starting role at right tackle for the Steelers in 2020, but a torn ACL ended his starting dreams.

“It was my first time being the starting right tackle and I tear up my knee in the fourth quarter,” Banner told Steelers Depot’s Joe Clark. “My spirit’s broken. Absolutely loved that city. Absolutely loved what we were doing.”

After the ACL injury, Banner wasn’t able to recover. The Steelers cut him in 2022, and that was the last we saw from him in the NFL.

The USC product did attempt to make a comeback in 2025, garnering interest from the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs. However, it didn’t end up working out.

We wish Banner the best of luck in his post-playing career, as it looks like he will be focusing on media.

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Indianapolis Colts 2017 draft pick announces NFL retirement

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