TE Celek to make retirement official Friday

Former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek will officially retire on Friday. Celek, who spent his entire career with the Eagles before he was released in March, will announce his retirement on the team's official website, according to NFL Media. An 11-year veteran, Celek was the longest-tenured player for Philadelphia at the time of his release, which came just more than two months after the Eagles won the Super Bowl. Although the 33-year-old Celek missed only one game in his career, his role declined with the emergence of Zack Ertz at tight end. Celek finished with a career-low total in catches (13) and receiving yards (130) last season. He had only 14 receptions for 155 yards in 2016. A fifth-round draft pick of the Eagles out of Cincinnati in 2007, Celek had his best season in 2009, setting career highs with 76 receptions for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. For his career, Celek has 398 catches for 4,998 yards and 31 scores. He had 237 of those receptions with 18 scores during a four-year span (2009-2012). "Brent Celek defines what it means to be a Philadelphia Eagle. His dedication to his profession and this organization is unmatched and he will go down as one of the best tight ends in franchise history," the team said in a statement at the time of his release. "Brent embodied the City of Philadelphia's temperament and character with his toughness and grit. He has been a huge part of everything we have been building over the last decade and it is only fitting that he was able to help us win our first Super Bowl last season. ... Brent will always be an Eagle."