LB Christian Kirksey tells Bills he's retiring

Buffalo Bills linebacker Christian Kirksey announced he is retiring from the NFL, the team said Thursday.

Kirksey, 31, was signed to the Bills' practice squad on Aug. 31, three days after the Houston Texans released him. He has yet to appear in a game with Buffalo.

He played the previous two seasons in Houston, starting 12 of 13 games in 2021 and all 17 games as a team captain in 2022. He totaled 217 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions with the Texans.

Kirksey played for the Cleveland Browns from 2014-19 and the Green Bay Packers in 2020. His career totals include 778 tackles, 45 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, seven interceptions, 33 quarterback hits and six fumble recoveries across 114 games (94 starts).

The Browns selected Kirksey in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Iowa.

Also on Thursday, the Bills signed linebacker A.J. Klein to their practice squad.

Klein, 32, has totaled 465 tackles, 15.5 sacks, four interceptions, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 144 career games (82 starts) with the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Bills (2020-22), Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears.