Manti Te'o is adamant his football career is over ... telling TMZ Sports his purpose in life is now to help other people -- not crack running backs on a gridiron anymore.
The former linebacker made the revelation to us out at LAX ... saying he's officially hung up his spikes at 32 years old.
"I'm playing a different game now," the Notre Dame legend said. "I'm trying to empower people. Trying to inspire people. That's the game that I'm playing now, and I'm trying to be the best at that."
Te'o -- a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft -- last played in the league in the 2020 season ... when he suited up for the Chicago Bears.
He spent most of that year on the team's practice squad, though he did play in the team's postseason game against the Saints, logging six tackles.
Some believed he still had football left in his body -- if not for the NFL, perhaps for the XFL or the USFL -- but he said that's simply just not the case.
Instead, he told us he now wants to help people learn from the hard times he's endured, most notably his 2013 catfishing incident.
"If my life can be that for people -- to show people that, 'Hey, it may not be sunshine and roses all the time, but if you just keep your head down and keep working and believing in yourself and putting God first, everything will be all right.'"
Te'o -- who played eight seasons in the NFL -- also spoke briefly about his documentary, "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist" ... and said he's glad people finally get to see and hear his story.
"It's more of an understanding now," Te'o said. "It's a beautiful thing because all the facts weren't out there ... I'm grateful that people have all the details and that people are able to see everything and that God's timing is perfect timing. So, everything works out."