Free agent guard Chris Chester won’t be coming back for a 12th season. The 34-year-old has decided to retire, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Chester entered the NFL as a Ravens second-round pick in 2006 and eventually established himself as one of the league’s most durable linemen. The former Oklahoma Sooner last missed a game in 2010, meaning he logged six straight 16-start seasons to conclude his career. Chester spent the previous two years in Atlanta, where he was part of an NFC championship-winning squad last season, but the team wasn’t interested in re-signing the 6-foot-3, 300-pounder and expected him to retire.
Between his five-year Baltimore stint and his pair of campaigns with the Falcons, Chester spent four seasons with the Redskins. All told, he picked up 169 appearances and 143 starts in his career.