Former NFL pass rusher Bryce Huff is embracing a new challenge just months after making the surprising decision to retire from professional football at the age of 27.
Rather than pursuing another contract or extending his NFL career, the Super Bowl (LIX) champion has turned his full attention to entrepreneurship. The former San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles defender is now helping lead Naberstone. It is a company focused on developing environmentally friendly technology to combat lithium-ion battery fires.
Speaking to The Athletic and reporter Vic Tafur, Huff said the decision to leave football was rooted in a long-term vision he had been building alongside his older brother, Jordan Huff. “I feel like we’re going to save a lot of lives and protect a lot of companies,” Huff said.
According to Huff, his brothers have spent the last two and a half years building the company, which currently has six employees. He has personally funded the venture, and Naberstone has already secured one major customer while holding discussions with additional organizations. It includes the U.S. military, a large waste recycling company, and groups in Europe and Asia so far.
Huff believes the rapid rise of electric vehicles, battery-powered tools, laptops, e-bikes and other electronic devices has created an urgent safety challenge.
“The biggest risk with batteries is the way they ignite if they take on some type of damage or malfunction or short circuit,” Huff explained. “One cell combusts, and then it’s just like a chain reaction throughout the battery.”
Traditional methods of extinguishing lithium-ion battery fires often require large amounts of water and can release harmful toxins into the environment. The former NFL defender said Naberstone’s technology is designed to stop these fires while remaining environmentally safe for firefighters and surrounding communities.
Engineer Nik Tacker, who works with the company, believes the product fills a gap in the current market. “There’s not really much on the market that works like our product does, being environmentally friendly and safe to use for firefighters and people around the world,” Tacker said.
Long before he became one of the NFL’s top undrafted success stories, Huff had a strong interest in engineering.
He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Memphis before shifting his focus entirely to football after one of his favorite professors was laid off due to budget cuts. Now, he feels that passion has returned.
“Going into the NFL, I couldn’t really put my love for engineering to good use,” Huff said. “But now I feel like since we’re working with engineers on a day-to-day basis, it’s just as good as actually being an engineer myself.”
Walking away from football
Huff’s retirement came as one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 offseason.
After entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Huff carved out a successful NFL career despite being overlooked during the draft process. He spent time with the New York Jets before signing a three-year, $51 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.
Following one season in Philadelphia, Huff was traded to the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2025 season. Injuries along the defensive line, including Nick Bosa’s knee injury, gave Huff an expanded role, and he finished the year tied for the team lead with four sacks while recording 15 quarterback hits. Across six NFL seasons, Huff totaled 24 career sacks, 108 total tackles, and four forced fumbles.
Despite still being in his athletic prime and leaving millions of dollars on the table, Huff said stepping away from football was not a difficult decision because of the momentum his business had already gained. Huff’s retirement also reflected a changing perspective on his football career.
While he developed into a productive pass rusher and earned a lucrative contract, his final years in the NFL were not always smooth. His stint with the Eagles proved disappointing, and he never truly found the role many expected after signing one of the biggest contracts of his career.
In an earlier interview after being traded to San Francisco, Huff even admitted that his Super Bowl ring from Philadelphia “doesn’t mean anything” to him, underscoring his focus on the future rather than his NFL accomplishments.
Now, Huff is channeling that same determination into solving real-world problems instead of chasing quarterbacks.
As electric vehicles, battery-powered equipment and large-scale energy storage continue to expand, Huff believes his company’s technology can make a meaningful impact. “It’s going to change the game,” he said. For Huff, football was only one chapter of his story.