{"id":752717,"date":"2026-02-14T23:59:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T23:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/752717\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T23:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T23:59:18","slug":"congratulations-pour-in-from-zack-baun-co-as-ex-eagles-lb-announcesretirement-at-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/752717\/","title":{"rendered":"Congratulations Pour In From Zack Baun & Co. as Ex-Eagles LB AnnouncesRetirement at 28"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> linebacker, a star at Temple Owls, has decided to call it quits at just 28 years old. Tributes quickly flooded in from Zack Baun and the wider NFL community as Shaun Bradley made his retirement official.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Football, I dont even know where to start\u2026 Thank you for giving me everything I could ever imagine and more,\u201d Shaun Bradley poured out his emotions in a heartfelt Instagram post. \u201cThey say, when one chapter closes. Another opens. And man, I\u2019m so excited to see What\u2019s Next. I love You all who have been there! I Got your back forever! And it\u2019s Always GO BIRDS.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bradley joined the league after the Eagles selected him in the sixth round, 196th overall, of the 2020 draft. He arrived as a standout from Temple, where he racked up 256 tackles, two sacks, and three forced fumbles over his college career.<\/p>\n

Football had always been Bradley\u2019s dream, sparked when he was just six years old. Yet he admitted he \u201cnever imagined\u201d he\u2019d truly live it out. The determined linebacker fought his way into the league, proving his grit every step.<\/p>\n

\u201cMade it out the mudd\u2026No one gave me anything. I earned and took EVERYTHING. and you [Football] changed my life, and my family\u2019s life forever,\u201d Bradley reflected in his post.<\/p>\n

With the Eagles, Shaun Bradley started only one game across 45 appearances in three seasons. He shone brightest on special teams, posting grades of 68% in 2020, 71% in 2021, and a strong 80% in 2022. But injuries changed everything.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI had a neck surgery in 2022, Achilles surgery in 2023. Through all of that, I Still Loved You [Football]. Unfortunately, in September 2025, I was told my neck injury was getting worse, and I was playing with borrowed time, so I decided to shut it down,\u201d he shared in the post.<\/p>\n

Injuries struck Bradley at the worst possible moments throughout his career. During his 2020 rookie season, a neck issue against the Cowboys<\/a> landed him on injured reserve in the final game of the season. In 2022, a wrist injury sidelined him, forcing him to miss the Super Bowl LVII appearance, where they fell to the Chiefs. <\/a><\/p>\n

The final blow came in the 2023 preseason opener against the Ravens.<\/a> He tore his Achilles tendon after starting all practice games, ending his year before it began. Since then, no team could get him back on the field. The Texans<\/a> signed him to their practice squad in 2024 but released him in November. The Chiefs added him last January, only to cut him in May.<\/p>\n

For Bradley, retirement wasn\u2019t easy. He felt he \u201cstill had so much more to give,\u201d and the decision even brought on battles with depression. But one thing finally gave him \u201cpeace and closure.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It was the deep relationships and bonds he built over the years. That shone through clearly in his retirement post, as fellow players like Eagles linebacker Zack Baun and fans rallied to send their best wishes.<\/p>\n

NFL stars and teammates shower Shaun Bradley with tributes<\/p>\n

As Shaun Bradley shared his retirement news, Zack Baun wasted no time chiming in.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongrats bro!!\u201d Baun posted in the comments section of Bradley\u2019s Instagram announcement.<\/p>\n

Jacob Phillips, linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts,<\/a> jumped in too with a simple \u201c\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bradley used his post to thank Eagles ownership, Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie. He wrote, \u201cI am Forever grateful to you two, you gave me the dream of a lifetime.\u201d He extended similar gratitude to every player and coach he crossed paths with. A respect they returned warmly.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCongrats, family!\u201d commented Caleb Wilson, a tight end who suited up with the Eagles in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegendary! Glad to share the field with you\ud83e\udd1e\ud83c\udffe\u201d added Jordan Magee, linebacker for the Washington Commanders,<\/a> who teamed up with Bradley during their Temple Owls days.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Bradley embraces this new chapter off the turf. Fans echoed that excitement, one wishing him smooth sailing into what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo proud of you\u2026great things to come \ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffb\u201d read a fan\u2019s comment.<\/p>\n

The outpouring of love underscores Bradley\u2019s impact, even amid a shortened career. It all circles back to his own closing words: \u201cSDOT OUT\u270c\ud83c\udffe\u2764\ufe0f\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker, a star at Temple Owls, has decided to call it quits at just 28…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":752718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2068],"tags":[107836,265,107835,230,25,7,392,23245,28485,393,6,242,109,2476,169,107834,107833,5041,222,425,111,1517],"class_list":{"0":"post-752717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-eagles","8":"tag-196th-overall","9":"tag-american-football","10":"tag-caleb-wilson","11":"tag-cowboys","12":"tag-eagles","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-indianapolis-colts","15":"tag-jacob-phillips","16":"tag-jordan-magee","17":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","18":"tag-nfl","19":"tag-philadelphia","20":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","21":"tag-philadelphiaeagles","22":"tag-ravens","23":"tag-retirement-official","24":"tag-shaun-bradley","25":"tag-temple-owls","26":"tag-texans","27":"tag-the-eagles","28":"tag-washington-commanders","29":"tag-zack-baun"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116071705035290063","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/752718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}