Rams star Eric Weddle announces his retirement from the NFL

Since the end of the 2019 season, there had been some inkling that Los Angeles Rams star safety Eric Weddle could step away from the game.

Weddle made that official on Thursday as he voiced on Twitter that he was going to retire after 13 years in the league. (H/T Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk)

Weddle has since come to a decision on that front. Weddle announced his retirement on Twitter Thursday.

The former second-round pick put together a highly productive career that saw him become of the top safeties in the league during his time. He spent his career with the then-San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, and Rams. That saw him earn numerous accolades along the way as he had six Pro Bowl selections, two First-Team All-Pro nods, and a Second-Team All-Pro selection.

During his career, he racked up 1,179 tackles, 29 interceptions, 9.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, and five defensive touchdowns in 201 regular-season games. He also racked up two sacks and an interception in nine playoff games. His departure leaves a significant hole in the Rams defense as he was one of their leaders, along with being one of their primary contributors.

The Rams are expected to turn to second-year safety Taylor Rapp to step into the starting job next to John Johnson III. Rapp had his fair share of ups and downs, but Los Angeles is quite high on him becoming a cornerstone in their defensive back group for years to come.