Michael Strahan abruptly disclosed yesterday that he is retiring, bringing to an end a Hall of Fame career that culminated with a Super Bowl ring.

As the Giants’ defensive end for the last 15 years, Strahan was chosen for seven Pro Bowls, recorded 141.5 sacks, led the league in sacks twice, and was named the NFL’s defensive player of the year once. There will never be another Lawrence Taylor, but Strahan is the second-best defensive player in Giants history.

The retirement of one of the sport’s all-time greats is a momentous occasion, but Strahan ended his career without holding an emotional press conference or scheduling a public ceremony. He simply told the Giants’ front office and the Fox reporter Jay Glazer of his plans, and with that, his days as an NFL player were over.

Strahan grew up in Westbury, Texas, and took an unlikely route to the NFL, with the Giants plucking him out of the relative obscurity of Texas Southern when they chose him with their second pick in the 1993 draft. Strahan’s rookie year was so long ago that people often forget that he was once a teammate of Taylor and of Phil Simms. By Strahan’s second season he was a starter, by his third he led the team in sacks, and by his fifth he was in the Pro Bowl. In the decade since then he has been one of the NFL’s most respected players, and his gap-toothed grin has become one of the NFL’s most recognizable faces.

Defensive ends are too often judged only for their ability to accumulate sacks, but Strahan was one of the handful of great pass rushers who was also great against the run. Strahan was fundamentally sound, so the Giants didn’t need to worry about opposing offenses exploiting his outside pass rush with inside handoffs, and they didn’t take him off the field on third-and-one. He was also one of the best defensive ends at recognizing screen passes and adjusting his pass rush accordingly: One of his most impressive plays in this year’s Super Bowl came when he knocked away a short pass from Tom Brady to Kevin Faulk that otherwise could have gone for a long gain.

Although Strahan had, like virtually all athletes, lost some of his speed and explosiveness by his mid-30s, he was still a solid contributor for the Giants last year, starting every game except one, recording nine sacks in the regular season and adding two more in the postseason. Strahan’s 2007 performance was good enough that, like all athletes who retire when they still have some gas left in the tank, Strahan will have to answer the question of whether he would consider playing again.

But in Strahan’s case, this decision seems final. Retirement has been on his mind for a long time, and he held out of training camp last year while he contemplated leaving the game. And although Strahan was scheduled to earn $4 million with the Giants this season, he doesn’t need to play for the money. As one of the most consistently engaging, insightful, articulate, and hilarious players in the NFL, he’ll have his choice of lucrative TV offers.

As good a player as Strahan was, the Giants have built their defense knowing he wouldn’t be around forever, and they should be fine without him in 2008. Justin Tuck, who had 10 sacks last year coming off the bench, will likely replace Strahan in the starting lineup across the field from incumbent starter Osi Umenyiora. Mathias Kiwanuka, who has gone from defensive end to outside linebacker, could return to end if the Giants need depth there, and the recent signing of free agent Renaldo Wynn gives the team a veteran defensive end who’s strong against the run. Just as they didn’t miss a beat when Tiki Barber retired last year, the Giants are well-positioned to move on without Strahan this year.

Off the field, part of moving on will undoubtedly be a ceremony to retire Strahan’s no. 92 jersey. He’ll be the 12th Giant to be so honored, and he’ll receive an enormous ovation from the fans at the Meadowlands when it happens. Unlike Barber, who was a great player but who engendered feelings of ambivalence from Giants fans, Strahan was almost universally beloved.

Of Strahan’s many career achievements, it’s the NFL record for sacks in a season, with 22.5 in 2001, that sets him apart. That achievement became controversial because Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre appeared to gift-wrap the record for Strahan by intentionally going to the ground directly in front of him. Favre and Strahan have been linked because of that, but now that they’ve both retired during the same off-season, they can be linked by something else: In 2013, the first year they’re eligible, both are sure to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame together.

Mr. Smith is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.