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Vince Wilfork To Retire As Member Of Patriots On Wednesday

BOSTON (CBS) -- An overall-clad Vince Wilfork announced on Monday that he's ready to retire.

Or as Wilfork put it on Twitter, "no more cleats, I'm moving on to smoked meats." On Wednesday, Big Vince's retirement announcement will be much more formal.

That's when Wilfork will officially announce his retirement at Gillette Stadium, hanging up those cleats as a member of the New England Patriots. The Patriots have scheduled a press conference for noon, following the team's joint walkthrough with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"Vince was a great player and had a great athletic career, a great player here. He did a lot for our football team in a lot of different ways, on and off the field. He's a special, special, special player," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Wilfork ahead of Tuesday's practice.

Wilfork was a key cog to the New England defense after being drafted 21st overall by the Patriots in 2004. He won a pair of Super Bowls during his 10-year career with the Patriots, becoming one of the franchise's most personable players in the process. He played his final two seasons with the Houston Texans, but is returning home to end his career.

There's no word on whether or not Wilfork will grill up something delicious after Wednesday's press conference, or if he'll be wearing those overalls.

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