Terron Armstead made the choice to step away from the NFL a couple of months back for reasons beyond the typical physical toll of playing 12 years of professional football.

The 33-year-old offensive tackle, a five-time Pro Bowler who spent the past three years with the Dolphins after nine seasons with the Saints, revealed the troubling lengths he had to go to just to be able to step on the field, let alone perform at a high level.

“I’ve been dealing with a knee [issue] since my third year in the league,” Armstead said on the “Nightcap” podcast. “I didn’t see a practice field at all, and not because I didn’t want to or the Dolphins just wanted me to rest. I literally couldn’t walk. After a game on Sunday, I wouldn’t be able to walk on my own, under my own power, until Wednesday, Thursday. So I was only able to play under the pain meds. I couldn’t put any pressure on my knee, so it was like, I can’t keep doing that to myself.”

Armstead never appeared in every game during any of his 12 seasons but did manage to play in 15 games during the 2024 campaign despite the condition of his knee.

“My injury history is extensive, and that’s really the part for me is my body,” Armstead said. “I love this game. Mentally, cerebrally, I can play the game forever. But it’s just physically, my body is slowing down. [There are] movements and abilities that I just can’t perform at the same level.”

Armstead made $115.8 million during his NFL career and left $15.5 million on the table by retiring.

A third-round pick by the Saints in 2013, Armstead made three Pro Bowls with New Orleans and was a teammate of Drew Brees for his first eight seasons before signing with the Dolphins in 2022.

He earned Pro Bowl nods in 2022 and ’23.