Vikings defensive end Brian Robison officially retires

Brian Robison, who played 11 seasons for the Vikings before being released in training camp last year, officially retired Wednesday.

The defensive end had 60 sacks in 173 regular-season games after being taken in the fourth round in 2007 out of Texas.

Robison, 35, signed a one-day contract so he could retire as an active Viking. An avid angler, his sack celebration was imitating hooking and reeling in a big fish.

He was the team's longest tenured player when he was cut in a surprising move when the Vikings trimmed their roster to 53 on Sept. 1. Robison agreed to pay cuts totaling $3.4 million in each of the final two seasons to stay in Minnesota. His career earnings topped $42 million.

Sitting in a fishing boat, Robison read a letter thanking the team in a video on the Vikings' Twitter feed.

"To my teammates — thank you for accepting me for who I am," he said. "Thank you for making my job enjoyable every single day for 11 years. … I'll cherish every day I shared with you. I'm always here for you."

Andrew Krammer