Super Bowl winner with Chiefs and former Cowboys and Bills man retires from football at 30

Former defensive end Breeland Speaks has announced his retirement from football.

Earlier this week, Speaks took to Instagram to officially announce that he was walking away from the sport at the age of 30.

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Breeland Speaks retires from football at the age of 30

“We’re here to wrap up this career and call it a day, man,” he said in his retirement video.

“It’s been a long road, but we made it. Started playing football at Callaway High School in Jackson, Mississippi. Went on to play at Ole Miss, got drafted in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs, won the Super Bowl with them in 2020 (Super Bowl LIV), and then went on to play for the Raiders and Cowboys later that same year.”

Speaks, who was born in Jackson, Mississippi, played three seasons of college football at Ole Miss (2015-17) with 121 tackles (50 solos, 71 assists), 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 32 games for the Rebels.

In 2018, he became Brett Veach’s first draft pick as Kansas City Chiefs‘ GM.

The Chiefs didn’t have a first-round pick in 2018 due to trading up to take Patrick Mahomes a year earlier.

KC selected Speaks in round two of the 2018 NFL draft (no. 46 overall).

Speaks’ Chiefs career struggled to liftoff but he still won a Super Bowl ring

The DE struggled to make an impact in Kansas City during his rookie season, recording 24 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble as a rotational piece.

Both Speaks and the Chiefs hoped he would kick on in 2019 but he sprained his MCL and landed on injured reserve before the start of the regular season.

While on IR, Speaks was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, and he was released during final roster cuts before the 2020 season.

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However, Speaks still received a Super Bowl ring after the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV in February 2020.

Speaks had stints with the Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Buffalo Bills before signing with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL in 2023.

Speaks played for the Michigan Panthers across two different stints between 2023-2025.

In 2023, he posted 9.5 sacks and 53 total tackles. In 2024 he had nine sacks and 33 total tackles and earned UFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.

However, his 2025 season was hampered by a pectoral injury, playing just three games.

In the playoffs, he made two tackles in two games, helping the Panthers appear in the UFL Championship Game against the D.C. Defenders.

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