Demarcus Ware is the Dallas Cowboys' all-time sacks leader DeMarcus Ware announced that he is retiring from the NFL. The surprising announcement came via an announcement on Ware's Twitter page and resulted in both Denver Broncos' President John Elway and the Dallas Cowboys official Twitter page to acknowledge his impressive NFL career.

DeMarcus Ware NFL retirement

The announcement came when DeMarcus Ware took to Twitter today and said that "it's time." Included with the announcement were two photos, one as a member of the Dallas Cowboys and the second as a member of the Denver Broncos.

He also left a lengthy note for his fans with the announcement. Ware announced that he was facing the unknown. He said that he feels better than he has felt in years and there were a lot of opportunities he was offered to keep playing but he said that his long-term health and quality of living outweighed the damage NFL players take to their bodies. This also came one day after former tight end Jordan Cameron said a lot of players don't like to play football and only do it for financial reasons. DeMarcus Ware had a chance to return to the Dallas Cowboys but chose to instead retire at the age of 34 and move on to the next stage of his life.

DeMarcus Ware and his status in the NFL

Over his NFL career, DeMarcus Ware was one of the most dominating pass rushers in the NFL.

He is the Dallas Cowboys all-time sack leader and ranks eighth all-time in the NFL. Sacks in the NFL did not become an official stat until after the Cowboys' heyday of the 70s with names like Randy White and Ed "Too Tall" Jones rushing the quarterback. Despite that, Ware finished with enough sacks to pass Harvey Martin's unofficial sack record of 114.

Ware finished his career with the Denver Broncos, where his sack total rose to 138.5. He also accomplished another dream in Denver when he won his first Super Bowl ring playing alongside Peyton Manning and there was little left for Ware to play for in the NFL. He spent much of the last two seasons injured and decided health was more important than making more money.