NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints announced Monday that free agent linebacker Dan Morgan has retired from football.

Morgan, who signed with the Saints March 11, played in the NFL for seven seasons, all with the Carolina Panthers. The injury-plagued veteran was drafted in the first round out of the University of Miami.

Morgan, who never missed a game in high school or college, sat out five games as a rookie with a broken leg. He missed eight games a year later with groin and shoulder injuries. He hurt his hamstring in 2003, and later sustained the first of at least five concussions.

Entering the 2007 season, the biggest concern was Morgan’s head. He missed the final 15 games of 2006 after sustaining two concussions in a month. After a year off and countless tests, Morgan was cleared to return. But he missed the final 13 games of 2007 with a partial tear of an Achilles tendon.