Ex-Pro Bowler Charles Leno Jr. Retires Two Years to Minute After Daughter's Death

The tackle paid emotional tribute in an Instagram post.

Charles Leno Jr. split his career between the Bears and Washington. / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

After a decade of steady, solid play for the Bears and Washington, tackle Charles Leno Jr. is calling it a career in emotional fashion.

Leno announced his retirement from football Tuesday afternoon on his Instagram—timing it to coincide, to the minute, with the second anniversary of his wife's miscarriage.

"On October 14, 2023, my wife Jennifer and I experienced the most unimaginable heartbreak. We lost our precious daughter, Paitynn—our fourth baby girl," Leno wrote. "That day changed everything for me."

Leno has not played in the NFL since '23, when he played 13 games for the Commanders. He finished his career with 102 games under his belt for Chicago and 47 for Washington.

Born in Oakland, Leno played collegiately for Boise State and helped usher that program transition from the WAC to Mountain West. The Bears took a seventh-round flier on him in 2014, and Leno rewarded Chicago's faith by making the Pro Bowl in 2018 for a 12-win squad.

Washington signed Leno to a one-year contract in May 2021, and extended him eight months later. The Commanders released Leno in March 2024.

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