American veteran defender Matthew Schiltz retires from the Canadian Football League after eight seasons.
Schiltz wrote a statement on Instagram.:
Thank you, football.
God blessed me with the incredible opportunity to play this game professionally for nine years, but now it's time to walk away from the game I love. I made unforgettable memories, met amazing people, experienced the joy of victory, the agony of defeat and found the love of my life along the way. The game taught me a lot about faith and life and molded me into the person I am today.
Thank you to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, agent and everyone who supported me along the way. For the unwavering support, motivation, brotherhood, love and everything in between, words cannot express the depth of my gratitude. I hope one day to give back to the game as much as it gave to me.
My mom always encouraged me to pursue my dream of playing professional soccer and believed in God's plan for me, even when I didn't fully understand it myself. I will always be grateful to her and hope she is looking down and proud of me for giving everything I had, both on and off the field.
“Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord God my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work of serving the house of the Lord is finished.” 1 Chronicles 28:20.
The six-foot-one, 210-pound QB spent his final season in the league with a three-player demotion with the Ottawa Redblacks, followed by one year with the Calgary Stampeders, two with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and four with the Montreal Alouettes.
Schiltz has played 106 CFL games in his career since signing with Montreal in 2017. His two most productive seasons came with the Ticats in 2022 and 2023, where he split reps at center and rotated spots on certain packages.
The 33-year-old completed 401 of 626 passes (64 percent) for 5,078 yards with 22 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. The St. Charles, Ill. native also rushed 124 times for 789 yards and rushed for yardage six times.
After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, Schiltz began working for Ernst & Young in Indianapolis. A year later, the Alouettes invited him to train. He also met with the Redblacks and Stampeders before signing with Montreal in 2017.
Following his outstanding high school career, Schiltz received a scholarship to Butler University, where he played 17 games over the last two seasons. He completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 4,037 yards with 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while rushing for 857 yards and 13 touchdowns.
