Brian Robison, who played 11 seasons for the Vikings before being released in training camp last year, officially retired Wednesday.
The defensive end had 60 sacks in 173 regular-season games after being taken in the fourth round in 2007 out of Texas.
Robison, 35, signed a one-day contract so he could retire as an active Viking. An avid angler, his sack celebration was imitating hooking and reeling in a big fish.
He was the team's longest tenured player when he was cut in a surprising move when the Vikings trimmed their roster to 53 on Sept. 1. Robison agreed to pay cuts totaling $3.4 million in each of the final two seasons to stay in Minnesota. His career earnings topped $42 million.
Sitting in a fishing boat, Robison read a letter thanking the team in a video on the Vikings' Twitter feed.
"To my teammates — thank you for accepting me for who I am," he said. "Thank you for making my job enjoyable every single day for 11 years. … I'll cherish every day I shared with you. I'm always here for you."
Andrew Krammer