Three months after Aqib Talib retired from the NFL, one of his teammates from the Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning secondary announced he will wrap his career.
Darian Stewart will call it quits after 10 seasons, indicating (via Instagram) he will not attempt to catch on with a team this year. While Stewart is best known for his time in Denver, the former UDFA played with four teams and logged 92 starts during his career.
After spending the first half of his career with the Rams and Ravens, Stewart landed with the Broncos in 2015 via two-year, $4.25MM deal. He became the final piece of Denver’s No-Fly Zone secondary, which led the team to first-place rankings in pass defense DVOA in 2015 and ’16.
Stewart intercepted a pass in his first game with the Broncos, sealing a Week 1 win, and intercepted Tom Brady in the Broncos’ AFC-clinching victory four months later. He also forced a fumble in Super Bowl 50, playing a key role for one of the modern NFL’s defining defenses — one that led the way in a two-score win over a 15-1 Panthers team.
The South Carolina alum was one of three Denver secondary starters to make the Pro Bowl in 2016, alongside All-Pros Talib and Chris Harris, and landed a $7MM-per-year extension with the Broncos that season. He outlasted No-Fly Zone mates Talib and T.J. Ward in Denver, working as a Broncos starter through the 2018 season. Stewart notched eight of his 11 career interceptions over his final three seasons in Denver.
Stewart, 32, finished his career with the Buccaneers, playing 13 games for last year’s Tampa Bay edition. He will finish with 463 career tackles, six forced fumbles and seven recovered.
Has his coin & ring, great career. Enjoy retirement.
I’m glad the Alabama native got to play for my favorite college and professional football teams. Great career brother. Beamer could use you in Columbia next year.