The Pittsburgh Steelers are cutting ties with safety Ryan Watts, and he is expected to retire after suffering a severe neck injury on the final snap of the preseason in 2024.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan released a statement saying the team is moving on from Watts. After meeting with medical experts and his representatives, they all agree it is in his best interest to retire.

“Unfortunately, today we are releasing Ryan Watts from our roster,” Khan said in a statement. “After consulting with our medical team, medical experts, and Ryan’s representatives, we all agree it is in Ryan’s best interest to discontinue playing football at this time. We’ll continue to assist and support Ryan as he transitions to the next phase of his life.”

Watts had surgery this offseason after trying to rehab all season. Following that, it was known his NFL future would be up in the air.

“We were really excited about Ryan’s progression last year,” Khan said at the NFL Combine. “He just got better and better each week, and it was just unfortunate. He had a significant injury, and we’ll see how all that shakes out. But really disappointed how that ended for him because that young man was really trending in the right direction.”

Watts, who was the Steelers’ sixth-round pick a year ago, played well in training camp and would have earned a spot on the team before the devastating injury.

That injury occurred near the final play of the preseason, when Watts got struck by a knee to the head. After the play, Watts was diagnosed with a stinger. However, as of November, Watts was still awaiting medical clearance.