TEMPE, Ariz. -- Adrian Wilson signed a one-day contract Monday so he can retire with the Arizona Cardinals.
Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said Wilson will also be inducted into the team's ring of honor at University of Phoenix Stadium this coming season.
A date will be determined after the NFL's schedule is released Tuesday night.
Wilson will officially retire Tuesday, Bidwill said.
The former Cardinals safety spent 12 of his 14 seasons in Arizona, making five Pro Bowls and was a three-time All-Pro.
He signed with the New England Patriots in 2013 but missed the season because of a torn Achilles. He was signed by the Chicago Bears in June 2014 and spent two months in the roster before getting released.
Wilson said there wasn't a specific moment that caused him to retire. Rather, it was a combination of injuries, his age, how the NFL was changing and him missing time with his family that caused Wilson to hang up his cleats, he said.
The 35-year-old hasn't decided what his next career move will be, but there's a chance he'll return to the Cardinals in some capacity.
"I want to take my time on that," Wilson said.
Wilson finished his career with the most tackles (886) and sacks (25.5) by a strong safety from 2001 to 2012, according to ESPN States & Information. He's also one of six players in NFL history to have at least 25 sacks and 25 interceptions.
Wilson choked up throughout the news conference but paused to collect himself while he was looking back on his relationship with Cardinals general manager Steve Keim, who began scouting Wilson as a 17-year-old at North Carolina State.
Arizona drafted Wilson with the 64th overall pick in 2001. As Arizona's general manager, Keim cut Wilson in March 2013.
Wilson spoke in front of a packed auditorium at the Cardinals' practice facility that included a handful of his former teammates -- receiver Larry Fitzgerald, defensive end Calais Campbell, cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Justin Bethel, and safety Rashad Johnson.
It was those same teammates that saw first-hand how Wilson's presence in the Cardinals' locker room raised the standard among the team. Wilson didn't put up with much.
Fitzgerald told one story about how, during the first day of his first training camp, Wilson basically threw him into the backfield on a block. Later in camp, Wilson put his arm around Fitzgerald and told him there weren't hard feelings. He just wanted to help welcome him to the NFL.
Fitzgerald said Wilson wasn't as hard on the offense as he was on the defense.
"Adrian had a high level of expectation for guys that were coming in," Fitzgerald said. "He held everybody to a high standard and that's great if you accept that and you can tolerate it. I would say some guys struggle with it because he's not going to bite his tongue. He's going to tell you exactly what's on his mind."