Chiefs WR Gehrig Dieter announces retirement from football

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter announced his retirement Wednesday via social media.

“I’ve decided to retire from football! Thank you for everything KC. Been a crazy journey!” Dieter said via Twitter and Instagram.

The Chiefs waived Dieter, 29, on May 5, which prompted him to weigh his future in the game.

“Being cut this early was different for me,” Dieter said Sunday at Tyreek Hill’s camp in Olathe. “I haven’t been cut during the summer, so it’s an adjustment period. I’m still figuring things out.”

Dieter, who joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent from Alabama in May 2017, spent most of his NFL career on the practice squad.

He appeared in 10 games with Kansas City, including four each in 2018 and 2020, and finished with two catches for 32 yards.

Dieter also appeared in three playoff games from 2018-19, including an 11-yard reception in a 31-13 win against Indianapolis during the AFC Divisional round.

Dieter started his college career at Southern Methodist in 2012. After transferring and sitting out a year, he played two seasons at Bowling Green, making 94 catches for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior in 2015 before landing with the Crimson Tide.

Dieter made 15 catches for 214 yards with four touchdowns in his only season at Alabama, but developed an immediate connection with quarterback Patrick Mahomes after joining the Chiefs.

Charlie Riedel/AP

Dieter said at Hill's camp that he was healthy and still feels like he could play in the NFL, but he planned to talk with his wife about his future.

He mentioned that he recently started working with some high school wide receivers for private training and may want to remain in Kansas City, which reminds him of his hometown of South Bend, Indiana.

“I’ve grown some great roots in Kansas City and have a lot of connections here, so I think I have a bright future if football’s not the call,” Dieter said.