I’ve decided to retire from football! Thank you for everything KC. Been a crazy journey! pic.twitter.com/DUSDRlh53y
— Gehrig Dieter (@GehrigDieter) June 8, 2022
An undrafted free agent signed by the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2017 NFL season has announced his retirement from football.
On Wednesday morning, Gehrig Dieter announced his retirement from football on Twitter with a quick post, sharing some of his favorite images from his time with the team.
Dieter, nicknamed “The Sheepdog” by Andy Reid, first joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2017. He spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad, working on the scout team with QB Patrick Mahomes, who he became good friends with.
In 2018, Dieter was called up to the 53-man roster for the first time, spending time on the active roster through the playoffs. The next several seasons would prove more challenging for Dieter, though. In 2019, he dealt with a back injury during the offseason which saw him released ahead of the start of the season. Once he was healthy the team signed him back to the practice squad and he bounced around between there and the active roster all season. That’d really be the case for the rest of his playing career in Kansas City, with Dieter spending most of his time on the practice squad with the occasional call-up to the active roster.
Dieter primarily played on special teams with 124 career snaps during his career. He appeared in 13 games in Kansas City from 2018 to 2020 including the playoffs, recording just three receptions for 43 yards on six targets. The coaching staff often praised him for his ability to fill in at any receiver spot at a moment’s notice.
The Chiefs waived Dieter from the 90-man roster ahead of their rookie minicamp, signaling his end with the team and now his end with football.