Charles Tillman has announced his decision to retire after 13 NFL seasons.

Tillman was a second round pick for the Chicago Bears in 2003 and was one of the leaders of their excellent defense for many years.

Tillman started 12 games for the Carolina Panthers last season before missing four games with a partially torn ACL. Tillman returned to play on the injury in Weeks 15-17 before fully tearing the ligament.

"I've had 13 amazing years on two great teams and I'm just thankful for the love and support that I got from my teammates, the fans and my coaches," Tillman told ChicagoBears.com. "I'm thankful to everyone who has helped me get to where I am right now because I definitely didn't do it by myself."