Nick WagonerJun 7, 2025, 12:05 PM ET
- Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- After reaching a decade's worth of seasons in the NFL, wide receiver Chris Conley is turning his focus to a new challenge.
Posting on Instagram on Saturday morning, Conley announced his retirement from football after playing 10 seasons split among stops with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and, most recently, the San Francisco 49ers.
In the announcement, Conley said "when I was a kid I wrote down a set of goals. On that list was 'Play 10 years in the NFL.' Now that this goal has been accomplished, it's time to set sights on something new."
Conley's second act will begin by attending film school at his alma mater Georgia, his agent Jonathan Perzley told NFL Network on Saturday.
Originally a third-round pick (No. 77 overall) of the Chiefs in the 2015 NFL draft, Conley played in 132 games with 65 starts in his career. In that time, he posted 226 catches for 2,998 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns while also carving out a role as a special teams contributor.
Conley's best statistical season was in 2019 with Jacksonville when he finished with 47 catches for 775 yards and five touchdowns, all of which were career highs. Over the past two seasons in San Francisco, Conley has primarily served as a backup to starters Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings.
In his final season in 2024, Conley had six catches for 76 yards and had a fumble recovery on special teams.
"The past 10 years have been a dream," Conley wrote on Instagram. "Getting the opportunity to play in the league was an honor and whether it was catching touchdowns or blocking for them, I truly gave it my all."
Conley concluded his announcement by saying "See you in the next dream."
