Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick is officially retiring from professional football

Monday began the second week of free agency for the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys obviously had a lot of work to do. There are positions of need for the Cowboys, places like defensive tackle and in the secondary, but as of now you might be able to add center to that list.

That is not a typo. Center is now a need for the Dallas Cowboys. Travis Frederick is retiring.

Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick is retiring from professional football

As the afternoon unfolded a simple tweet popped up on the timeline and in it contained a statement from Frederick himself. He is retiring.

In his statement Frederick notes that he has learned a lot from the players and coaches that he was around during his time with the Cowboys, which shockingly is now over. He also made mention of the fact that he learned what it was like to give back to his community; it is worth mentioning that Frederick has been the Cowboys nominee for the illustrious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

The Cowboys drafted Frederick in the first round back in the 2013 NFL Draft, after originally trading back with the San Francisco 49ers. Debated heavily at first, that selection became of the finest since Jerry Jones has owned the team and it helped materialize the vision that the offensive linemen together have become.

When free agency opened up last week the Cowboys retained Joe Looney. It was Looney that started at center in place of Frederick in 2018 when the latter missed the entire season while fighting Guillain-Barré syndrome.

There is no way to oversell what Travis Frederick has meant to the Cowboys both on and off of the field. He is a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in terms of football-related accomplishments, but he is a stand up individual in every walk of life.

All the best to Travis in whatever comes next. He will be missed.

Update: 6:52pm ET

In case you were wondering what the salary cap ramifications are here.

They’re not great.

Update: 6:58pm ET

Jerry Jones has issued a statement on Travis Frederick’s retirement.