Former Cardinals OL Billy Price retires after surgery to remove saddle clot
May 25, 2024, 5:07 PM

Billy Price #53 of the Arizona Cardinals signals at the line of scrimmage against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter at Estadio Azteca on November 21, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)
(Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)
Former Arizona Cardinals center Billy Price announced his retirement from the NFL on Saturday after having surgery to remove a “terrifying” blood clot.
Price, 29, said in an Instagram post he underwent emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot heading toward his lungs.
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Price last played for the Cardinals, starting 11 games at center in 2022. He did not miss a snap in those 11 games.
He previously played for the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals, while he signed with the Dallas Cowboys after his Cardinals tenure. Price filled in for veteran center Rodney Hudson, who dealt with injuries in 2022.
“In the blink of an eye, everything can be taken away,” Price wrote.
“As a healthy 29-year-old, an unprovoked pulmonary embolism with no further medical explanation is terrifying. I am truly thankful to be alive today. Unfortunately, I will be retiring from the NFL as the risk of an internal bleed while on blood thinners creates tremendous risk.”
The Bengals took Price with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Price ends his career with 69 games played and 45 starts. He played college ball for Ohio State, where he won the 2017 Rimington Award and Big Ten Conference offensive lineman of the year.