LB Jason Worilds retiring at 27

Pittsburgh Steelers free-agent outside linebacker Jason Worilds won't be making visits or negotiating with suitors.

Rather, the 27-year-old has decided to step away from football.

He announced the decision late Tuesday with a series of tweets:

Worilds was one of three NFL players 30 or younger to announce his retirement Tuesday, joining Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker, who retired at age 26 and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis who walked away from the game at age 29.

Worilds, who was expected to be courted by theTennessee Titans, among others, has become a productive player since starting regularly for the first time in 2013. The 2010 second-round draft pick recorded 15.5 sacks the past two seasons, either leading or tying for the team lead both seasons in thatcategory.

Worilds started every game in 2014 for the first time in his career and tied defensive end Cameron Heyward for the team lead with 7.5 sacks.

Worilds, who had a sack taken away from him after a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty in a December game at Atlanta, finished second on the Steelers with 18 quarterback pressures in 2014.

The Steelers paid Worilds $9.75 million in 2014 after using a transition tag on the 6-foot-2, 262-pounder and preventing him from becoming an unrestricted free agent last March.

The two sides could not agree to a long-term contract before the start of the regular season, and the Steelers decided against tagging Worilds, although Steelers president Art Rooney II had said the team wanted him back in 2015.

ESPN.com Steelers reporter Scott Brown contributed to this report.