At the age of 30, a Seattle Seahawks starter has announced his surprising retirement from the NFL, having played for just seven seasons.

Austin Blythe, the center for the Seattle Seahawks, has announced his retirement from the NFL after a seven-year career spanning four teams. Blythe started in all 17 games of the regular season as well as the team's one playoff game in the last season. He was set to become a free agent next month when the new league year begins.

Starting his career with Indianapolis, Blythe spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and one season with Kansas City before joining the Seahawks last year. In a post on Instagram, the 30-year-old shared, "For a short, unathletic, undersized kid from Iowa, I've played a lot of football, met countless coaches and teammates that I can call friends, and made enough memories for myself and my family to last a lifetime."

The Seahawks were already expected to address the center position during the upcoming offseason, even before Blythe's announcement.

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