Dakoda Shepley announces retirement after CFL, NFL career

Photo: Guang Quan/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Canadian offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley has announced his retirement from pro football following the Toronto Argonauts’ elimination from the CFL playoffs.

“This was definitely my last year,” Shepley said on Sunday while cleaning out his locker. “1,000 percent. I thought last year was, but  (I wanted to) go out on my own terms rather than go out on an injury, play a solid year of football, and try to win a championship. Is what it is, and yeah, that was it for me.”

Shepley signed with the Argonauts last offseason after personally calling the organization to express his interest in a contract. He made 16 regular-season starts and also suited up for the East Semi-Final, which Toronto lost 25-22 to Winnipeg.

After earning over $1.9 million USD in the NFL, it surprised many to see the Windsor, Ont., native return to the CFL. He now has other things pulling him back down south.

“The plan was to do the NFL and then be done. That’s where my head was at when the season ended last year. And then obviously I had the opportunity with Toronto to come up here and play,” he said. “That being said, I have a newborn at home, an eight-month-old, and my wife back in Dallas. Priorities have shifted a little bit, and I just feel like I can’t give the attention that football needs that I’ve committed to all these years.”

The 31-year-old was originally selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the first round, fifth overall, during the 2018 CFL Draft. He attended training camp with the New York Jets that same year but was waived after the preseason.

Shepley signed with the Riders in 2019 and played 18 regular-season games that year, becoming a full-time starter at guard. He helped the Roughriders finish first in the West Division with a 13-5 record as Cody Fajardo became a star at quarterback. The six-foot-five, 290-pound blocker opted out of the 2020 CFL season to pursue the NFL.

The move paid off for Shepley as he spent parts of six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and Indianapolis Colts. He dressed in 16 regular-season NFL games: eight with Seattle, seven with Dallas, and one with San Francisco.

Shepley was paid $285,000 CAD to suit up for his final run with the Argonauts. That included a $5,000 travel bonus, which allowed him to return to Dallas every few weeks and visit his young family. However, the money is no longer worth the separation from his infant child.

“That was another thing that I don’t think I could have prepared for, my wife and I, when we made the decision to sign here, because it really was a joint, a collaborative decision. It wasn’t just me. I don’t think we were prepared for the new emotions and feelings and everything that comes with having a new baby, especially the first one. It was tough, but we made it through,” he said.

“They made me a really nice offer, and it’s tough to turn down a bunch of money, regardless if football’s involved or not. Obviously, have to travel, so we mulled it over for so long, and you just can’t say no to it. Having the opportunity to go out on my own terms and play a good, full season of football, get that under my belt, was nice. But it was tough. It was tough in a lot of ways.”