Pittsburgh Steelers Roster Rumors: Heath Miller Confirms Retirement
Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller announced his retirement in the NFL after 11 seasons, in the process breaking various team records and winning two Super Bowls. The announcement was made by the team last Friday.
The 33-year-old turns his back on a game after making an indelible mark for the Steelers. The well-liked player was the team's first round pick (30th overall) back in the 2005 NFL Draft. He will be leaving the franchise as the all-time leader for the tight end position in receptions (592), yards (6,569), and receiving touchdowns (45).
He immediately made a positive impression during his rookie year with the Steelers, making 39 receptions for 459 yards, coupled with six touchdowns. That kind of performance led many observers to think that he should have won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He then became a surprising contributor to the game's biggest stage, the Super Bowl, when the Steelers competed for the title in 2005.
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Miller is known by every Steelers fan as the complete professional and a versatile tight end. He is well-loved by teammates and never was involved in any off-field incident.
The announcement was followed by an official statement from team president Art Rooney II:
"On behalf of the entire Steelers organization and Steelers Nation around the world, I would like to congratulate and thank Heath of his many contributions to the Steelers," he said. "Heath is the most accomplished tight end in team history and his efforts will not soon be forgotten," Rooney added.
After his impressive couple of years in the league, Miller cooled down a bit, but later re-emerged as one of the best tight ends in the game by 2012, where he played the best season in his career. He produced a career high 816 receiving yards, as well as 8 TDs.
Last season, he was better than many other tight ends, even though the talk of retirement was already heard in as early as the start of the season. He made 60 catches for 535 yards with two TDs.
