The team released a statement Thursday morning saying that the 26-year-old fifth-round pick let all of his coaches know.
“This morning John Urschel informed me of this decision to retire from football,” Coach John Harbaugh said in a statement. “We respect John and respect his decision. We appreciate his efforts over the past three years and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Urschel, who has not publicly commented on his decision, already has a second career lined up. A doctoral candidate in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
While Baltimore still has Ryan Jensen and Matt Skura to choose from at center, the bigger loss is for the NFL as a whole. Urschel was a great ambassador for the game and redefined the meaning of student-athlete.
