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San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff announced Thursday that he will retire from the league after six seasons. Huff is 27.
The 49ers acquired Huff in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles last season. He was a key part of San Francisco’s 2025 defense, which finished tied for first with four. However, he failed to record a sack in his final 10 games of the regular season and playoffs.
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Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff (0) against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field on October 13, 2024. (Eric Hartline/Imagn Images)
“I’m retiring from football. I started playing football when I was four years old,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram. “Growing up I wasn’t the biggest or the strongest and I didn’t have any friends. All I really had was the game, football kept me grounded.”
Huff joined the New York Jets in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Memphis. He played four seasons with the team and recorded 65 tackles and 17.5 sacks.
He signed with the Eagles in 2024, played 12 games for them and was part of the Super Bowl winning team.
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San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff (47) leaves the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Dec. 22, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
“I came into the NFL with a chip on my shoulder and then I signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent,” Huff continued. “Thanks to Coach Gregg Williams and Blake Williams, I earned a roster spot my freshman year. I spent countless hours learning everything I could about the game. When Coach Saleh arrived my sophomore year, he and his staff helped me become the best version of myself. My four years in New York will always mean a lot to me. That locker room built me. During that time, I got the highest paying contract in the NFL that I’ve spent in history. a year in Philadelphia where we won a Super Bowl.
“I really evaluated what mattered in my life. That led me to San Francisco, where I was able to reset in a system I understood with a group of guys I respected. We fought through injuries, fought our way into the playoffs and gave everything we had. Through it all, I realized something. Football has been my whole life. I’ve been playing since I was four years old, but I could give more than 2-7 years, but as 2-7 years. just soccer. The game taught me perseverance, it taught me how to lead and how to find a way through when things feel impossible.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff takes the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
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Huff said he is focusing on his lithium battery company, whose goal is to suppress their fire risk.
