EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Linebacker Chad Greenway's time between the lines is coming to an end, but the 2006 first-round pick is ending his career on his terms and where it all began.
Greenway and the Vikings announced on Monday that he will retire and hold a press conference Tuesday at Winter Park.
A native of Mount Vernon, South Dakota, Greenway racked up 1,334 tackles (fourth-most in franchise history) and tied Scott Studwell's franchise record for leading the team in tackles six straight seasons (2008-13).
Selected with the 17th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, Greenway became the first player drafted by the Vikings after the Wilf family acquired the franchise. His time with the team even predates General Manager Rick Spielman, who was hired in May 2006.
The Iowa Hawkeyes product consistently produced despite missing all of his rookie season with a torn ACL that he suffered in his first preseason game. Greenway didn't miss a game from 2007 until 2014 when a rib injury sidelined him for three in a row.
A knee injury in the penultimate game of the 2014 season also cost him the finale. Greenway bounced back strong, appearing in each game of 2015 and 2016 and twice serving as a season-long captain. Greenway provided on-field leadership for incoming linebackers Anthony Barr (a first-round selection in 2014) and Eric Kendricks (a second-round pick in 2015) and memorable moments along the way.
Greenway returned an interception of Philip Rivers 91 yards for a touchdown in Week 3 of the 2015 season against the Chargers. It was the fifth-longest Pick 6 in Vikings history and sixth-longest by a linebacker in NFL history.
The 2015 Vikings claimed the NFC North title, becoming division champs for the third time during Greenway's tenure.
In 2016, Greenway helped the Vikings open U.S. Bank Stadium with a 17-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers. He closed the season — and his career — with a high kick near midfield in the waning moments of a win against the Bears on Jan. 1 and turned 34 on Jan. 12.
Greenway played in 156 games, which is tied with Jeff Siemon for 27th overall and fifth among linebackers. Greenway's 144 starts are the fourth-most by a Vikings linebacker. His 18 sacks are the third-most by a Vikings linebacker, and his 11 interceptions are tied for the fifth-most by a Vikings linebacker.
Greenway and his wife, Jenni, plan to remain in the Twin Cities and continuing to raise their four daughters: Maddyn, Beckett, Blakely and Carsyn.
Greenway was named the Vikings Community Man of the Year (2011, 2014-16) four times for the work that he does with his Lead The Way Foundation. Greenway also received the 2015 Byron "Whizzer" White Award from the NFL Players Association.
In February, Greenway was named the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee's "Crew 52" Captain. He will recruit 10,000 volunteers that are needed to host Super Bowl LII.
