Report: 49ers center Alex Mack to retire after 13-year NFL career

According to a freelance NFL reporter Michael Silver report, San Francisco 49ers center Alex Mack will retire after a 13-year NFL career. Mack’s retirement has been the source of speculation all offseason long, and it seemed even more likely this morning when the team restructured his contract to create more than $4 million in salary-cap space.

The Cleveland Browns drafted Mack with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He immediately slotted into Cleveland’s starting lineup and emerged as one of the best centers in the league, a conversation he would belong to until his retirement.

Mack signed with the Falcons as a free agent after spending the first seven years of his career with the Browns before spending heading to the Bay Area for the final season of his career. In the end, he started in 101 games and was selected to seven Pro Bowls and three All-Pro second teams.

The 49ers addressed this offseason like a team that wasn’t expecting Mack to return. Daniel Brunskill has experience at center, but the team added Dohnovan West and Jason Poe as UDFA’s after the draft. Jake Brendel’s a name that’s been around for a couple of seasons as well.

Outside of Brunskill, there’s little to no experience at center, which is why many suggest former Browns center JC Tretter, as an option. Leave it up to Twitter to find this, but Tretter’s dad appears to be on board with his son coming to the Bay Area: