Tributes “overwhelm” new retiree 49er Staley
When Joe Staley announced his retirement following a stellar 13-year career in San Francisco, he was taken aback by the tributes that poured in from former 49ers teammates, coaches and competitors.
The limelight in the NFL is usually reserved for the players who catch, run or throw the ball, not the behind-the-scene workers who help make all that happen.
“I was absolutely overwhelmed and blown away from the response from everybody,” Staley said Tuesday. “That meant so much to me. I’m a lineman. It’s our job to not be noticed and it’s our job to just do our job and do the grunt work. It was really cool.”
It was also well-deserved for a player who was one of the best in the game at what he did since entering the NFL as a first-round pick out of Central Michigan in 2007.
Staley made six Pro Bowls, played 181 games and was recently honored as one of the NFL’s all-decade players for the 2010s.
His signature play came in his first playoff game for the 49ers in January 2012. With San Francisco trailing New Orleans 24-23 in the closing minutes, Staley showed off his speed when he pulled on a keeper, raced down the field ahead of Alex Smith and laid the key block against Roman Harper on a 28-yard TD run that helped the Niners reach the NFC title game.
Staley was able to thrive in the power game that was prevalent early in his career and had the athleticism to succeed in the more wide-open modern game.
“I think he’s a Hall of Famer without a doubt. It’s a no-brainer,” said Niners right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who was taken under Staley’s wing after being a first-round pick in 2018.
“Joe was the most complete offensive tackle of his generation and that’s something that should be without a doubt entrenched in the Hall of Fame.”
While Staley provided steady play almost from the start, his career was a bit of a roller coaster from a team standpoint.
He played for six coaches during his time in San Francisco, dealing with the early struggles under Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary to a resurgence under Jim Harbaugh that featured three trips to the NFC title game and one Super Bowl loss to a downfall under Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly.
Staley felt revived when Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017, leading to a second trip to the Super Bowl.
But what should have been an enjoyable season of on-field success proved to be the toughest of Staley’s career. He broke his leg in Week 2, broke a finger his first game back in Week 10, and then dealt with a neck injury that led to his decision to retire at age 35.
“It was the right decision for me,” Staley said. “Because of that it was really hard.”