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Former Mizzou standout Markus Golden retires at age 32

Mizzou Mizzou Football NFL

Nine-year NFL veteran Markus Golden has announced his retirement from professional football, after playing 16 games with 4 sacks a season ago with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Golden was a star defensive piece of Gary Pinkel’s final seasons as head coach at Missouri, matching with the program’s first run through the Southeastern Conference. He was a second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, and immediately paid dividends, with a career-high 12 1/2 sacks.  

He played in Arizona through 2019, before signing with the New York Giants.  In his first season in New York, he racked up 10 sacks, before being traded back to the Cardinals midway through 2020.  Prior to his retirement announcement, the Steelers had placed Golden on the reserved/retired list (on August 9th).