Houston Texans CB Ronald Darby announces surprise retirement after 10 NFL seasons

After a decade of bouncing around the league, playing big snaps in even bigger moments, and lining up against some of the NFL’s best, cornerback Ronald Darby is stepping away from football.

The 31-year-old informed the Houston Texans—his latest team—that he’s retiring, just months after signing with them in the offseason. Darby, a former second-round pick, carved out a long, solid career filled with starts, stops, comebacks, and the kind of journeyman grind that doesn’t always get the headlines but commands respect in every locker room.

Texans CB Ronald Darby retires just months into 2025 offseason

Ronald Darby came into the league back in 2015 as a second-round pick out of Florida State, drafted by the Buffalo Bills.

He hit the ground running and made an immediate impact, but it wasn’t long before he was on the move. In 2017, the Eagles traded for him, sending Jordan Matthews and a 2018 third-round pick to Buffalo. He ended up playing out his rookie deal in Philly and re-upped for another year after that.

That was kind of the story with Darby—he didn’t always stick around long, but teams kept wanting him. Washington gave him a one-year, $4 million deal in 2020, and then Denver followed up with a big payday: three years, $30 million, with $19 million fully guaranteed.

Injuries and tough luck cut that stint short too, and he was released after two seasons.In 2023, he landed with the Ravens. Then came Jacksonville, where he played 13 games in 2024, racking up 46 tackles, three tackles for loss, and nine pass deflections. The numbers were solid. The tape showed a guy who could still play. But after signing with Houston this March, something shifted. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Darby told the team he was ready to hang it up.

Ronald Darby’s final NFL stats: What he leaves behind

In all, Ronald Darby played 118 games across 10 seasons and six teams. He finishes with 447 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, eight interceptions, 106 pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one recovery. He never became a superstar—but he was a reliable starter, a steady vet, and someone who always found his way back onto a roster. That says plenty.Now, he walks away from the game on his own terms. For any NFL player, that’s a win.Also Read: Tom Brady gets new role in the organization with the Raiders