Charles Leno Jr. retires from NFL two years after wife’s miscarriage

Ten-year NFL veteran Charles Leno Jr. retired on Tuesday, two years after he and his family suffered a heartbreaking tragedy.

Leno, 34, announced his retirement in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday, explaining that his wife, Jennifer, suffered a miscarriage on Oct. 14, 2023, which changed his entire perspective on life.

“We lost our precious daughter, Paitynn — our fourth baby girl,” the former Bears and Commanders left tackle wrote. That day changed everything for me. It changed the way I see life, the way I carry myself, and most of all, it changed what matters most to me.”

Leno said while he was extremely proud of his NFL accomplishments — including a 2018 Pro Bowl selection — the miscarriage fundamentally changed how he felt about playing football.

“But on that October day in 2023, something in me shifted,” Leno wrote. “I knew then that I was done with football. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. My priority, my passion, my purpose had changed. My heart now belongs fully to my family. And I knew one day, when the time was right, I’d make it official.”

Leno was a seventh-round selection by the Bears out of Boise State in 2014, playing the first seven years of his career in Chicago, starting in at least 16 games five times.

He joined Washington before the 2021 season and played three seasons there, but suffered a calf injury at the end of 2023 and was released in March 2024. He did not sign with a team in either of the last two seasons.

Leno thanked the support of his, teammates, coaches, agent and family before concluding with how important being a father is to him.

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“There’s nothing like the love of your daughters, nothing like the responsibility of raising them, protecting them, and being present for them,” Leno wrote. “That’s my purpose now. That’s my legacy.

“This isn’t goodbye — it’s just a new beginning. I love you, Paitynn. This one’s for you.”