PITTSBURGH — Vince Williams isn’t sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers after all.

The veteran linebacker announced his retirement Wednesday on the eve of training camp, just months after taking a pay cut to return for a ninth season.

The 31-year-old Williams appeared in 121 games for the Steelers after making the team as a sixth-round pick out of Florida State in 2013. He excelled early in his career as a special teams ace and then became one of the more physical inside linebackers in the NFL, forming a close bond with Ryan Shazier before Shazier’s career-ending back injury late in the 2017 season.

The Steelers released Williams in a salary-cap move in March — a decision that saved the club $4 million — then re-signed him to a one-year deal a month later.

Williams collected 20.5 sacks during his career. He was expected to compete with Rob Spillane for a starting spot next to Devin Bush in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense.