Efe Obada has announced his retirement from the NFL. The 34-year-old made history when he became the first player from the NFL‘s International Player Pathway programme to make a 53-man roster. Obada announced his retirement from the NFL on WednesdayGettyThe British-Nigerian defensive end played seven seasons in the league, with his time split between the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Commanders. “I feel like I’m ready to step away from the game,” Obada said. “I’ve been very fortunate and very privileged to carve out a very long career in a space where the average career is like two, two-and-a-half, three years.“Now that I have the energy and the focus to move on to the next thing, I think I’m ready right now.“I feel comfortable. I wouldn’t have any regrets. I have no regrets in my career and everything that I’ve done, the effort I’ve put out there, my career, the impact that I’ve had.”From 2018-2024, Obada featured in 80 games, where he recorded 92 tackles, 15 sacks, and 42 QB hits.He also had two fumble recoveries for 54 yards. Obada’s football career began in the UK, where he was trafficked to from Nigeria at the age of 10. He joined the London Warriors, and within a year he had signed with the Dallas Cowboys despite never playing college football before later joining Carolina as part of the league’s IPP. Obada’s next chapter is just being writtenThe 34-year-old now looks forward to the next chapter of his career, in which he has launched the Efe Obada Foundation aimed at supporting young people aged 11 to 25 who have experienced the care system, just as he did growing up. “The ability to provide for my family and the platform that it’s given me to inspire my community and really touch people’s lives and make change — true changes — those are the things that I have,” Obada said.Obada made history when he made the Panthers’ 53-man roster from the NFL IPPGettyObada has set up the Efe Obada Foundation to help children age 11 to 25 who grew up in the care systemGetty“I’ve been influenced in so many different ways and it’s helped me grow and develop into a man.“I’ve never been around men that have so much influence, that have big hearts. Not just the game, they influence communities, generations. Just to be a part of that, it’s been a privilege.“I think that my best days and my best years are still ahead of me. Being in the NFL has been an immense privilege and it’s changed my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world, honestly.“But I wasn’t an NFL player. I was a guy that got the opportunity to play in the NFL,” he added. “Being an NFL player is not my identity. It’s not something that I internalised. It’s just something that I did. It was a great job and it was an amazing experience.”The foundation has been supported by the NFL Foundation UK and will also partner with BIGKID Foundation who offer sports as well as support in education, mental health and employability. “I grew up in foster care and unfortunately I fell through a lot of cracks and the home wasn’t a safe space for me,” Obada said.“I used youth clubs and those spaces to find my home and to find a sense of belonging. Ultimately, football gave me that and it changed the whole trajectory of my life.“Now that I have the means and I have the platform, I want to use my voice and my resources and access to be able to meet these kids in my community that we have a shared lived experience with, where they are and support them.“I need them to know that their past does not define their future and they have the ability to rewrite their whole lives.”