Former Washington Commanders defensive end Casey Toohill announced his retirement from the NFL on Instagram Thursday, closing out a six-year professional career that began as a seventh-round pick out of Stanford. The reaction from around the league came quickly. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was among the first to respond in the comments.
“Today, I retire from football,” Toohill wrote. “Truthfully, I agonized over finding the proper words for this post. Football has been such a constant in every phase of my life. It’s been foundational to my identity, and walking away feels like stepping into the unknown.”
“Congrats brother,” McCaffrey commented.
McCaffrey and Toohill go back to Stanford. McCaffrey was there from 2014 to 2016, with Toohill joining the Cardinal in 2015. They overlapped for two seasons. Toohill was an important player for the Cardinal, having led the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Toohill’s retirement message focused more on the people around him than what he did on the field. He thanked his wife, family, and friends, calling their support “unwavering and foundational.”
Toohill was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 233rd pick in 2020. It was a tough time for him, as he had to deal with the pandemic right afterward. Teams were unable to hold OTAs and workouts for this class of rookies, and Toohill had to resort to high school fields for training. Toohill was dropped before the season, and Washington claimed him off waivers soon after.
He was competing with a stacked lineup that included Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, Montez Sweat, and Chase Young. Per The Stanford Daily, he described the experience of joining a new team as “drinking through a fire hose.”
But Toohill eventually settled and spent the next four seasons with the Commanders. He played 57 games for Washington over that stretch. In 2023, Toohill recorded five sacks, his highest total with the team. One of his oddest NFL moments came a year earlier. Against Philadelphia, Toohill picked up a botched Eagles lateral and ran it one yard for a touchdown.
He left Washington after the 2023 season and spent 2024 with Buffalo before joining Houston in 2025, but was released by the team that year. Toohill finished his NFL career with 100 tackles, eight sacks, and a defensive touchdown, respectable numbers for a player nobody expected to stick around this long when his name was called in the seventh round.
The comments section told its own story about the relationships built along the way, with several current NFL players and college teammates showing up to mark the moment.
Buffalo Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa was one of the players to react to the news. The two had been teammates in Buffalo, and Epenesa simply wrote, “Congrats, my brother ❤️.”
Zach Ertz, a former Washington Commanders tight end who played with Toohill in 2023, posted, “Congrats, brother!!”
Los Angeles Rams safety Jordan Fuller added: “Congrats on a special career my boy🙏.”
Bryce Huff, a defensive end for the NFL, wrote, “Congrats on a great career brother!✊🏾💯.”
His Stanford days came up in the comments, too. Former Cardinal teammate Conrad Ukropina was among those congratulating him, writing, “Congrats, brother!!”
Toohill was never a household name, but plenty of people from his football life took a moment to acknowledge his retirement. That response says plenty about the six-year career he built.