McGary Showed Lot Of Heart In Overcoming Cardiac Issues

Kaleb McGary is done with football. He hung up his helmet, shoulder pads and cleats.

After seven years in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, five at the University of Washington, and three more at Fife and Battle Ground high schools, he recently retired from the game at age 31.

Richer by $45,909,008.

Respected for appearing in 93 games and starting all but one.

Alive and well with training camp going on without him.

It was no secret, but throughout much of McGary's football career he dealt with an irregular heartbeat.

However, it was a knee injury that finally did him in as a pro athlete, rather than his cardiac issues.

In retirement, the 6-foot-6, 330-pound McGary remains a big success story because he showed that his heartbeat issues were treatable and he could be play on under the greatest physical strain with modern medicine monitoring his health throughout his career.

"When you're having heart problems, it's a big deal," McGary said.

Falcons offensive tackle Kaleb McGary (76) blocks against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

He stands to be a reassuring influence for high-level athletes everywhere dealing with similar issues.

This includes someone such as current Husky basketball player Jaris Rencher, who had his freshman season curtailed after eight games last winter with heart arrhythmia, as well, and he has returned for another campaign.

HEARTBREAKING: Former #Falcons standout tackle Kaleb McGary has played his entire #NFL career while battling an irregular heartbeat.

McGary was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and underwent multiple cardiac procedures before returning to the field.

Kaleb once questioned… pic.twitter.com/nZD7VqbiOM
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) July 17, 2026

As a high school junior in 2013, McGary fainted during a Fife basketball game, the first telltale sign that something wasn't right inside his chest. His heartbeat raced at 300 beats per minute.

As a UW freshman football player in 2014 fall camp, he felt fatigued and suffered shortness of breath, leading to an intensive battery of tests. He was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, which is an interruption of the heart electrical system.

McGary would go on to enjoy a highly decorated Husky career. He twice was named as a first-team All-Pac-12 pick and saluted as the 2018 Morris Trophy winner for being the conference's top lineman. He emreged as a first-round NFL draft choice, the 31st selection overall.

Former Husky Kaleb McGary (76) retired from the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Yet in advance of the draft, he was put through every sort of front-office inquisition about his health concerns.

"I got poked and prodded and asked questions by every team, as everybody does," McGary said in an Emory Healthcare interview. "Of course, the heart stuff comes up. I had lots of very serious and in-depth talks about it, especially with the Falcons."

Even as a Falcons rookie, he became dizzy and the team sent him to highly regarded Emory, which is located in Atlanta, for a different solution.

Physicians performed a couple of ablation procedures, which involved the insertion of a catheter and zapping his heart muscle back into normal rhythm.

So McGary is a retired man now. His knee never bounced back, but his heart appears strong.

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